Steve Krieg, Lismore’s Mayor, has trialled a cutting-edge approach to understanding disasters using 3D modelling and virtual reality (VR) to experience what happened in the 2022 floods.  

With disaster impacts on Australian communities projected to increase due to the influence of climate change, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is pioneering innovative ways to view disasters, understand what happens as they unfold and use the information to help develop Flood Disaster Plans. 

Mayor Krieg was very impressed by what NEMA has produced so far.

“It was Lismore in a virtual reality program. At the moment, you can't actually get down onto ground level. It's all viewed from above.

“There were actual flood heights on all of the buildings that showed which buildings were damaged, which buildings weren't damaged, how much water got into everything.”

(View of flood extent and impact assessment near Wyrallah Road obtained in the aftermath of the floods. The colour of the buildings indicates different levels of assessed damage. Image credit: NEMA)

The current version gives the user a bird's-eye view of Girards Hill, East Lismore and the CBD as waters inundate the virtual Lismore. The program is being further developed for a “Walk Through”.

NEMA says they want to ensure they are best placed to prepare for, respond to, recover from and build resilience to disaster events. In this project, Michael Vernon, led the development of the new tool soon after joining NEMA earlier this year. 

Mr Vernon said, “I wanted to see if recent advancements in VR gaming technologies could be put to use to help communities make better decisions by making it easier to visualise the risk from floods and fires. 

“It turned out to be simple but effective, and it was great to be able to showcase the experimental tool we developed to Mayor Krieg and get his feedback when he visited us.”

(View of flood extent and impact assessment near Lismore South Public School obtained in the aftermath of the floods. The colour of the buildings indicates different levels of assessed damage. Image credit: NEMA)

Leveraging imagery collected from satellites and on-ground damage assessments from the devastating 2022 floods in Lismore, developers at NEMA built the digital canvas.

“Pairing cutting-edge VR tools with real-world data like flood depths and vegetation onto 3D models of buildings and landscapes allows us to engage in deeper analysis of how factors like building density, infrastructure layout, and proximity to support services can help improve resilience to disasters,” Adi Chopra, NEMA Director with the Geospatial team said.

“Early testing showcases its potential to pinpoint vulnerable areas, optimise evacuation plans, and target mitigation strategies.”

The technology is designed to assist emergency services and local communities in learning from past disasters and simulating future disaster scenarios.

Paul Gloyne, NEMA’s Chief Data Officer, said, “We're excited about the potential of technological innovation to empower our insights in support of states, territories, and local governments as we plan for, respond to, and build resilience to Natural Disasters. 

“The immersive experience offered by VR surpasses static maps and provides decision-makers with early insights into modelled impacts of actual or potential flooding events.

“NEMA will continue to work across the emergency management system to leverage new technologies and techniques, share ideas, expertise and our code-base to ensure the benefits of these new capabilities can be accessed across the nation.”

(Bird-eye view of the 3D model of the flood observed by satellite in Lismore in March 2022. Image credit: NEMA)

NEMA is now developing ways to automate this capability for use during the upcoming storm season, which the Bureau of Meteorology says may involve another La Ninà year. We are currently at La Ninà Watch.

Mayor Krieg was very thankful for the opportunity to experience what NEMA has developed.

“Lismore and NEMA have become good friends over the last few years, and they wanted to show us, which was very kind of them.”

Impressed with what he saw, Mayor Krieg is hoping that when the technology includes 3D street views, it can be brought to Lismore for all the community to experience first-hand.