Fire Extent and Severity Mapping (FESM)

Fire severity is a metric of the loss of biomass caused by fire. In collaboration with the NSW Rural Fire Service, DPIE Remote Sensing & Regulatory Mapping team has developed a semi-automated approach to mapping fire extent and severity through a machine learning framework based on sentinel 2 satellite imagery. The statewide severity map has standardised classes to allow comparison of different fires across the landscape. The FESM severity classes include: unburnt, low severity (burnt understory, unburnt canopy), moderate severity (partial canopy scorch), high severity (complete canopy scorch, partial canopy consumption), extreme (full canopy consumption).