The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) has a statutory obligation to assess development applications (DAs) through referrals and concurrences for all planning proposals in bushfire prone areas.
This includes assessing proposed developments for Bushfire Attack Level (BAL).
The existing process resulted in too many low-risk, straightforward developments being referred by councils to the NSW RFS for assessment, which was not only holding up approvals within the planning system, but also using up valuable resources within the NSW RFS.
To improve this, the NSW RFS required development of a new tool for local referral authorities (Councils) to efficiently assess the bush fire attack level (BAL) of properties that are the subject of development and planning proposals, and to determine whether referral to the RFS is necessary. The solution developed by Nova Systems, called the Development Application Screening Tool (DAST), is an online web tool designed to address this requirement.
In collaboration with NSW RFS, Nova Systems took the method for assessing BAL outlined in the Australian Standard (AS 3959:2018) for the construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas, and translated it into an executable geoprocessing service that could be embedded within the NSW Development Application Screening Tool (DAST).
Geospatial Solution
The primary goal of DAST is to measure a building’s potential exposure to ember attack, radiant heat, and direct flame contact. By integrating multiple sources of spatial data, Nova Systems developed a geoprocessing solution to execute the complex BAL methodology described in the Australian Standard.
DAST combines the calculation of the BAL with an evaluation of the proposed development’s access to roads and water supply to identify applications that are complex or higher-risk, ensuring compliance with State Environment Planning Policy. This is part of a broader strategy to deliver significant reductions in decision making timeframes across the planning system.
Human Centred Design
The DAST application is used by many different councils and hence the application had to be well designed and intuitive. Key to the success for the design of the user experience of the application was Nova’s Human Centred Design process.
Nova engaged closely with users in a series of workshops, interviews and testing sessions to iteratively refine the design of the application.
Key to these sessions were a series of increasing fidelity wireframes and prototypes that allowed users and the development team to build a common understanding of how the application would work early in the project. Through a user-friendly interface informed by a Human-Centred Design approach, DAST provides an intuitive interface for councils to submit application information for assessment.
Web Application in the Cloud
Nova’s cloud first solution architecture delivers cloud enterprise GIS platforms that are flexible, cost effective, high performing and secure. The architecture process also follows Amazon’s Well Architected guidance and relevant government security standards.
DAST has delivered an increased confidence in bushfire consultant reports, providing a consistent and faster mechanism to assess and validate the reports received, leading to increased efficiency in development assessment decisions.
Through DAST’s user-friendly interface, users can input lot information and draw proposed development footprints to trigger the BAL geoprocessing service. Users can also interactively define an Asset Protection Zone, which is an area that will be kept clear of vegetation to minimise bushfire fuel loads.
The service then brings together diverse spatial data sources including terrain, land cover, vegetation classification and infrastructure, and combines this with complex calculations based on the Australian Standard to determine BAL. The service then combines the BAL with an evaluation of the proposed development’s access to roads and water supply, allowing it to identify projects that are complex or high-risk.
Finally, DAST summarises outputs from the geoprocessing service in a comprehensive assessment report that clearly presents results using a green-amber-red format. This means councils can easily assess whether a project needs to be referred to NSW RFS, which in turn frees up the NSW RFS to focus their efforts on complex development applications that genuinely require their expertise.
Modern Software Architecture and Delivery
The DAST application was delivered using Nova’s proven approach to designing and building web applications. The solution is a loosely coupled Service Oriented Architecture designed to be extensible and maintainable over time. Leveraging such technologies has enabled Nova Systems to efficiently deliver a successful, engaging public facing application on time and budget.
This project would not have been successful without the invaluable subject matter expertise provided by the NSW RFS. This collaboration underscores the significance of aligning industry and governmental domain knowledge to effectively address spatial challenges. By combining the expertise of both parties, we were able to bridge policy guidelines with practical implementation, with GIS approaches playing a pivotal role in enhancing planning system efficiency.
Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS)
The DAST project builds on the geospatial collaboration between Nova Systems and government partners including the NSW RFS. Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Councils (AFAC) commissioned Nova Systems, in partnership with NSW RFS and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), to lead the build of a national unified system to deliver accurate, timely, and consistent fire danger rating information; Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS).
The AFDRS was launched in 2023 and is continually upgraded to improve public safety and reduce the impacts of bushfires. Nova Systems designed and developed the AFDRS technology platform to integrate specialist expertise and data from the BoM and State fire agencies with the latest fire behaviour science in a single, truly consolidated and national unified system.
A key learning in both projects is that the ability to share data is as valuable as the ability to share resources and personnel across jurisdictions. The AFAC solution for the AFDRS successfully unified a broad range of national stakeholders and their spatial data, demonstrating the power of collaboration. This approach can be applied in more areas to help protect lives and property. At Nova Systems, we have the expertise to bring data together, build robust and functional systems, and deliver solutions that users will want to use. If the states and territories can embrace the opportunity to share information freely, it will be of benefit to us all.
*Originally appeared in Asia Pacific Fire Magazine in August 2024.