Cutting-edge immersive disaster simulation and training systems will be created for NSW's firefighters.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) have entered into a five-year agreement with researchers from UNSW's iCinema Research Centre to create a fully immersive bushfire visualisation system to allow fire and rescue personnel to experience the behaviour of fires in virtual scenarios.
UNSW has invested more than $35 million in multiple artificial intelligence (AI) powered immersive simulation systems, which researchers will now customise to create trailblazing education and training experiences for FRNSW.
The project has leveraged large-scale Australian Research Council (ARC) funding in creative visualisation since 2002, most recently a Laureate Fellowship, to explore unpredictable fire scenarios.
Under the partnership, the University is providing FRNSW with a 3D Immersive Cinema worth $250,000 that will allow firefighters and incident commanders to fully immerse and interact in simulated emergency scenarios.
The project team will install the iFire system at FRNSW Emergency Training Academy Orchard Hills' premises.
