The novelty of the FRIDA solution can be articulated by comparing it to existing community wildfire awareness, empowerment, and prevention solutions:
State of the Art in Community Wildfire Solutions:
- In US West Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network offers tools for self-assessment and information exchange to live safely with wildfire, emphasising resilience and proactive measures.
- In California Smokey Bear focuses on prevention education, providing guidelines for safe campfire practices and equipment maintenance to prevent wildfires.
- Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) aims to reduce wildfire risk through land use planning, offering no-cost services like planning recommendations and training.
- Firewise USA educates on adapting to wildfire, promoting community actions and homeowner participation in preparing against wildfire threats.
- AIM program increases local capacity for wildfire risk reduction activities in high-risk communities with technical and financial support.
- In Europe mainstream Media provide information on weather and extreme temperatures.
- Annual conferences seminars, and webinars are organized involving various stakeholders to analyze previous fires and future fire risks.
- Copernicus Fire Risk Index websites provide a global perspective on areas at risk of fire.
- PDF brochures are published and made available through the websites of the European Forest Institute.
- Warning signs and flags are put at key entry points to forests and picnic areas are closed down by forest managers.
Key Differentiators of FRIDA:
- Integration of Advanced Technology: Unlike many existing solutions that focus on education and community planning, FRIDA integrates EO satellite data, AI, and machine learning to provide real-time insights and predictive analytics.
Continual, Live and Interactive
- Comprehensive Risk Index: FRIDA’s granularity in risk assessment, with a focus on biodiversity and ecosystem health, offers a more detailed understanding of fire risks than general advisories.
- Hyper-local Customization: The ability of FRIDA to tailor its app to specific communities with local data and analytics sets it apart from more generic, broad-stroke solutions.
- Social Media Integration: By functioning as a social media platform, FRIDA facilitates the widespread dissemination of information, which is a unique approach to community engagement in wildfire prevention.
- Multilingual Storytelling Online: The use of GPT and large language models for storytelling in native languages enhances the accessibility and educational impact of the app.
- Decision Support for Forest Managers: The premium version of FRIDA acts as a decision support system, offering AI-powered guidance for forest and fire managers, a feature not commonly found in other tools.
- Participatory Approach: FRIDA’s emphasis on continuous participatory, collective action goes beyond individual education, and one-off events and involves all stakeholders in risk mitigation throughout the year.
- Visualizations and Mapping: The app’s sophisticated visualizations of fire-prone regions, hotspots, and critical resources aid in both awareness and operational planning.
- Proactive and Preventive Focus: While many solutions are reactive or educational, FRIDA’s focus on proactive and preventive measures offers a forward-thinking approach to wildfire management.
Transparency and Democratization: FRIDA is the first-of-its-kind tool that democratizes Forest information and satellite Earth Observation data creating across-the-board transparency from grassroots to policymakers thus removing any silos. This creates accountability for citizens and community leaders alike.
