CODE RED: MOBILE was a mobile training exercise for firefighters conducted at Hanging Rock Reserve in Central Victoria. It used visualizations created in the Crysis Wars game editor and viewed on iPads to simulate a bushfire scenario. GPS data was collected from participants and analyzed using ArcMap and Geotime software to evaluate performance. Preliminary results found that static visualizations were as useful as movies for training, but not enough firefighters passed a post-test, suggesting the exercise needs improvement. The author concludes mobile location-based scenarios have potential for emergency services training when combined with analysis of participant behavior data.
Code Red: Mobile - A mobile scenario based training exercise for CFA firefighters - Brian Quinn
1. CODE RED: MOBILE
A mobile scenario based training
exercise for CFA
firefighters.
Presented by Brian Quinn
2. CODE RED: MOBILE
• The author is a member of Newham Rural Fire Brigade and a
PhD candidate at RMIT University, Melbourne.
• CODE RED: MOBILE is the title of a training exercise at the
Hanging Rock Reserve in Central Victoria undertaken by
members of the Mt Macedon Group of Brigades.
• CODE RED: MOBILE is also a mobile experiment to
evaluate visualisation treatments as well as the overall success
of the training exercise.
5. PhD project
Research Questions:
• Which theories of game and game design, psychology, spatial
cognition, navigation, decision making and learning are most
suitable for developing design principles for a time sensitive
decision making scenario based game using visualisations on
computer and mobile devices?
• What are the design principles for visualisations that best
support decision making under stressful conditions?
8. Costs of Black Saturday, Victoria 2009
From: Estimating the net cost of the 2009 Black Saturday Fires to the affected regions
Catherine Stephenson, Research Officer, Centre for Risk and Community Safety, RMIT University and Bushfire CRC, John Handmer,
Director, Centre for Risk and Community Safety, and Aimee Haywood, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
9. Improving our response to bushfire management.
• We need better ways to inform firefighters and the
community.
• Can we exploit some of the technology that the community
are familiar with- like mobile devices?
• Mobile visualisations at a location familiar to participants
may provide training with more impact.
10. The database for Webpark
linked locations to multimedia
content classified by location
and by ontological relationship
to other content. Edwardes et
al (2005).
Dias (2007) studied visitor use of
WebPark. The users who had the
location based services on a
mobile device scored best on
location based recall ( p 89).
11. Admiraal et al (2009) reported that “…mobile games... are excellent ways to combine situated, active and constructive learning
with fun” (p 302). 216 students played the game.
12. Brown et al, 2010
Brown et al, 2010 summarise that mobile devices can reduce cognitive load. However too much support leads to a lack of
learning and personal cognitive maps are not then constructed by the participant. A game based approach may lead to the
development of personal cognitive maps.
17. Technical assistance for the Firefighter.
• Fire Behaviour Analysts predict fires and their impact,
particularly using Phoenix RapidFire.
• CFA and DSE Fire Mappers use in house mapping products as
well as Arcmap.
• The State Control Centre in Melbourne assists local Incident
Control Centres. At high levels of alert on a day of Extreme
Fire Danger for the State all centres are fully staffed.
• Aircraft can be called upon to take Infra Red aerial images to
find hot spots and fire fronts.
• Ground Observers can be tasked to report on the fire.
18. Predicting the course of a fire
Phoenix Rapid Fire created by Dr Kevin Tolhurst, Derek Chong and Dr Tom Duff
University of Melbourne
20. The Applications and Devices
• GPS tracking using Trimble Juno SB
• Visualisations created with Sandbox2 editor included with
Crysis Wars game (crytek.com)
• Maps created from Spatial Vision’s VICMAP BOOK, Central
Region which is used by Country Fire Fighters and Incident
Control Centres for base maps, paper and electronic.
• Visualisations viewed in 7scenes (free version) of mobile
game framework (7scenes.com) on iPad New.
21. The Making of CODE RED: MOBILE
• Crysis Wars (crytek.com) provides a 3D scene editor which
produces good quality 3D scenes. Real terrain height maps
can be used to create the scene’s terrain. Models can be
imported from 3DS Max and other 3D graphics editors.
• 7Scenes (7scenes.com) is a location based game editor. Free
to use for sight- seeing genre.
24. Making the Visualisations in Sandbox2
• Sandbox2 has a collection of flames, smoke, explosions and
clouds, some of which can be affected by a global wind.
• It also has a collection of buildings, vehicles, fences which
can be edited and used in a scene.
• Vegetation collection includes grass and tree types that can be
affected by the global wind.
39. Bushfire Events
• Car crashes into tree on Colwells Lane
• After about 20 minutes the fire spreads South driven by the
northerly winds.
• Fire reaches the east side of the lake after about 3 minutes.
• Reaches south of lake after 4 minutes.
• Windchange occurs, the eastern flank becomes the new fire
front, heading eastwards.
48. Data for Analysis
• How many houses participants correctly
decided would burn down.
• Selection of correct order of events in a debrief
task.
• Map of their GPS tracks.
62. PRELIMINARY RESULTS
• Static Visualisations are as useful as Movies.
• With a pass mark of 70% not enough of the firefighters
passed.
• Complex to organise.
• Ten at a time is probably optimum.
63. In Conclusion
• Useful dynamic and static geovisualisations of bushfires can
be made with a COTS game editor.
• Location based scenario is a viable option for field training for
firefighters and likely other emergency services.
• GPS and logs of participant behaviour in location based
application can provide rich source of data about individual
and group performance as well as the utility of the
application.
• ArcMap 10 plus Geotime 5.3 are useful tools for analysing
behaviours in a mobile location based exercise.
64. Acknowledgements
• Apple University Consortium, Australia.
• CFA, Region 2
• Mt Macedon CFA Group: Martin Leitch, Group Training
Officer
• Newham RFB: Brigitte Kny Training Officer
• RMIT University: Prof W. Cartwright, Monique Elsley and
Chris Marmo, SMGS
• Macedon Ranges Shire
• Hanging Rock Reserve Staff
• Judy and James Quinn