Development and equipment

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Technological equipment: GIS and Météorage

The GIS (geographic information system) is a decision-making tool that provides in-depth knowledge of the forest. In use since 1997, it has made it possible to strengthen the effectiveness of prevention, forecasting and suppression actions related to forest fires.

Using IGN (French geographic institute) maps, and thanks to GPS tracking of trails, access roads and prevention equipment in the field, the GIS tool makes it possible to inventory and map all infrastructures present in the forest. It also makes it possible to correlate weather conditions (weather index) and at-risk areas and sites in order to make optimum use of fire-fighting facilities depending on the land.

This system, one of its kind in Europe, covers 16 sites grouped in a network at the departmental and regional levels within public (Centre Opérationnel zonal, Service Départemental d'Incendie et de Secours, Direction Régionale de l'Agriculture et de la Forêt, Directions Départementales de l'Agriculture et de la Forêt, Office National des Forêts) and private (DFCI regional association) organizations, all involved in efforts to protect the forest from fires.

Since 2006, this tool has been managed by the ATGeRi GIP (Land development and risk control public interest group). DFCI Aquitaine's salaried employees are still responsible for its use.

Météorage : lightning is one of the primary causes of fires (14% of fire starts) in the Landes de Gascogne forest.
After a storm, numerous fire starts may occur and may smoulder for several hours, or even several days, in the surface layers of the soil (humus) before breaking out.
In order to be able to assess the danger level and preventively manage the organization and implementation of fire-fighting equipment in the field, Météorage terminals have been installed in partnership with the company Météorage. They provide information about lightning's impact points, its characteristics, and the progressive direction of the storm.
In 1995, DFCI installed a terminal in Mimizan, completing the network and enjoying a precision of 500m to 1,000m to locate impacts.
The GIS includes this information. It may be accessed in real time and on DFCI base maps in all its fire prevention and suppression services.