kellyp5/bushfire-notifier

NASA VIIRs satellite wildfire notification system

Bushfire Notifier Application

In an effort to understand the current problem of the Australian bushfires and present a solution, our team created an interactive website to allow users to track nearby fires and get the help they need.

Website Link: https://vcatlett.github.io/bushfires.github.io/

We're working to make it easy to be prepared for the worst. Inspired by the recent of volunteers combatting the Australian bushfires, our website was created to present consolidated, pertinent data for emergency situations. Recent history has seen a shocking rise in cataclysmic events, especially regarding devastating wildfires. Flames have torn through thousands of homes in California, ripped apart the luscious Amazon rainforest, and slaughtered over a billion animals in Australia.

Functionalities

Our notification system will let you know exactly how close nearby fires are to you. Our algorithm can detect the number and intensity of nearby fires in your area and sends you a text of how at risk you are. The text also includes information on the nearest emergency facility and their phone number to help you get assistance as quickly as possible. A link will also be provided which will direct you to a webpage that will advise you on cautionary steps for how to deal with danger.

Our website also features an interactive map that identifies hotspots for potential fires based on NASA's VIIRS data, which uses state-of-the-art wavelength technology. The map allows you to find available hospitals, veterinarians, and wildlife refuges that reside in your region.

What to do in the case of an emergency

1. Check our website (linked in the message) for the next steps to take
2. Get everyone in your house to safety (next step has more details)
3. Identify the nearest shelter for you to visit for the time being as they can help with after-effects. If you see animals, call or take them to a nearby veterinarian or wildlife refuge.
4. After talking to the representatives of the shelter, they will detail future steps for you
5. Send us an email if it helped! Any feedback helps us!

Future Improvements

• Accessing more data to spans more continents
  • Finding more accurate indicators for natural disasters could better inform people of incoming disasters and prevent casualties and compounding damages
  • Taking into account more facilities would allow a greater degree of freedom for how users want to interact with our map (implementing a search method)
• Upgrading messaging system (to handle responses)
  • Automatically sending out updates on a timely basis to warn people of developing natural disasters floods, fires, hurricanes)
  • Creating an interactive chatbot to respond to user inputs that ask certain questions
• Implementing a real-time news/twitter feed
  • Giving users timely news articles and social media posts to proactively update them on the status of weather

Built With (Stack)

Front-end

• Tableau
• CSS
• HTML
• Javascript

Back-end

• Python
• SQL
• Twilio API
• Flask (used for testing)

Database

• Google Cloud SQL

Contributors

Joshua Bae - Rice University

Victoria Catlett - University of Texas at Dallas

Manish Koleti - University of Texas at Austin

Kelly Petrone - Arizona State University

Acknowledgments

• TAMUHACK 2020
• Volunteers in Australia