Wildfire Propagation Simulation Tool using Cellular Automata and GIS

Abstract

This paper states the research done in building a Wildfire Propagation Simulation tool able to present graphically, how the fire will be propagated in case of a wildfire. The core of this tool was developed using Cellular Automata (CA) relayed on mathematical foundations for modeling the propagation and the transition rules of the CA. Also, the mathematical model was combined with a geographical information system provided by Google Maps API, allowing to conduct a simulation that considers the kind and density of vegetation in a specific zone of interest. Finally, we define and perform a full simulation providing information for managing and predicting wildfires and, the future works derived from this research.