Trending and emerging prospects of physics-based and ML-based wildfire spread models: a comprehensive review

Abstract

The significant threat of wildfires to forest ecology and biodiversity, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, underscores the necessity for advanced predictive models amidst shifting climate patterns. There is a need to evaluate and enhance wildfire prediction methods, focusing on their application during extended periods of intense heat and drought. This study reviews various wildfire modelling approaches, including traditional physical, semi-empirical, numerical, and emerging machine learning (ML)-based models. We critically assess these models’ capabilities in predicting fire susceptibility and post-ignition spread, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Our findings indicate that while traditional models provide foundational insights, they often fall short in dynamically estimating parameters and predicting ignition events. Cellular automata models, despite their potential, face challenges in data integration and computational demands. Conversely, ML models demonstrate superior efficiency and accuracy by leveraging diverse datasets, though they encounter interpretability issues. This review recommends hybrid modelling approaches that integrate multiple methods to harness their combined strengths. By incorporating data assimilation techniques with dynamic forecasting models, the predictive capabilities of ML-based predictions can be significantly enhanced. This review underscores the necessity for continued refinement of these models to ensure their reliability in real-world applications, ultimately contributing to more effective wildfire mitigation and management strategies. Future research should focus on improving hybrid models and exploring new data integration methods to advance predictive capabilities.

Keywords

Wildfire spread / Fire prediction models / Cellular automata model / WRF-Fire/SFire / FIRETEC / CAWFE / WFDS

Funding

University of the Sunshine Coast