Wildfire Computational Fluid Dynamics in Augmented Reality (AR)

This article will describe a blend of technologies that provide the visualized simulation, starting with digital terrain and fuel maps that provide georeferenced fuels and contributing characteristics, including density, canopy height, skirt elevation, slope, and aspect.

Around the world, the wildfire challenge continues to threaten community members, their homes, business, and emergency response personnel. Smart Technologies, Artificial Intelligence & Numerical Analysis can substantially support prevention, environmental protection, and community risk reduction by predicting critical scenarios in advance.​

The causes contributing to worsening wildfire challenges are complicated and are attributed to many factors, including climate variations, decades of wildfire suppression, limited budget and personnel, which contribute to more significant, more destructive, and frequent wildfires.

The Python and Paraview data renderings in Unity (AR) provide the workflow to visualize a time-dependent CFD simulation in Augmented Reality on an actual urban park located in Munich city center by combining accurate numerical analysis, GPS GEO-localization, and local- Simaltanious Location Area Mapping (SLAM) algorithms.​

When fire simulations are displayed in AR on-site in the actual environment, one can directly see the extension of the fire, distances between fire and populated areas, track smoke and pollutants to observe and virtually verify the implemented solutions directly. Once reserved for advanced stack-enabled computing systems, the AI-enabled output can now run natively on typical mobile devices.

Advances in current SMART tablets carrying 3D Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) capabilities, coupled with an edge, mesh-networked (Fog computing), and backhaul to cloud architecture, move the AI-enabled AR displayed CFD of tomorrow more capable in delivering value to professional fire engineers, community members, and emergency responders.

Direct, immersive AR experience has proven to be an efficient way to experiment with solutions and train people to react in dangerous scenarios.​ hhpberlin aims to actively contribute, promote and support the use of Smart Technologies applied to the prevention and analysis of critical and hazardous scenarios in a wildfire, urban interface, and city environment.

MCKINZIE SMART TECHNOLOGIES is grateful to be a contributing partner to the work of hhpberlin, matchbox, and the expanding platform of Futura (the place to gather, evaluate, test, and render in opensource 3D SMART technology). For the full demo video and more on Futura, please visit https://www.futura.town/ar-cfd

Output credit to partner team hhpberlin, led by Stefan Truthan with the AR developed

by CFD expert Dr. Marco Losurdo.