UNSW Centre for Interactive Cinema Research

iFire 1.0 & 2.0

Intelligent fire visualisation system

iFire 1.0 & 2.0 connect globally located researchers and 3D immersive systems and enable them to interact with dynamic wildfire scenarios such as those of the Australian Black Summer 2019/2020 and Los Angeles 2025.

iFire 1.0 (2021-2025) translates CSIRO SPARK fire simulations of historical fires into 3D cinematic scenarios using the UNREAL film industry engine. It visualises moderate to high danger-rated fires. It focuses on scenarios that probe anticipatory understanding and situational preparedness under conditions of moderate uncertainty.

iFire 2.0 (2026-2027) creates probable data-based episodes by translating a custom AI model that learns the behavioural patterns of fires simulated in applications such as SPARK, WRF-SFire and FARSITE, and computes these on the basis of real-world data into 3D cinematic scenarios. It visualises extreme danger-rated fires. It allows users to interactively change the weather conditions, such as wind speed and wind direction, and experience the resulting change in fire behaviour. It focuses on scenarios that probe situational awareness and decision making under conditions of changing climate uncertainty.

The 3D systems are networked across a range of platforms (Fig. 1) using software that enables users to interact with the fireground by sharing the same 3D setting in real time, no matter their smart screen platform. The platforms range from mobile 3D cinemas, 3D virtual production volumes, 3D LED walls, 3D headsets to 2D laptops and tablets, providing interaction for multiple distributed users at any one time. It provides specific applications for three distinct end users: researchers, responders and residents. Collaborators include UNSW iCinema Research Centre, UNSW Climate Change Research Centre, University of Melbourne Virtual Production Lab, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, AFAC (Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council), CSIRO/Data61, the European Network on Extreme Fire Behaviour (NERO), Fire and Rescue NSW, the Royal College of Art (UK) and SchenkWeitzdoerfer, Cologne.
Fig. 1 iFire Networked Immersive System. 2025

The iFire 1.0 & 2.0  program is based on the award-winning iCASTS  safety-training simulation system commercialised for the Australian and Chinese mining industry that has trained over 30,000 personnel across six mine locations, reduced injuries by 67%, with no more fatalities occuring since.

iFire 1.0 is currently developed through three case studies using this approach, comprising: an Australian pine plantation fire (Fig. 2, 3), an Australian grassland fire (Fig. 4, 5) and a US mountain forest fire (Fig. 6, 7).

The case studies are translated into:  

  1. Artistic research applications for art fairs, film festivals, galleries and museums  (Fig. 10) e.g., Penumbra and Equinox for ISEA, Düsseldorf/Cologne Open and Art Cologne, Galerie SchenkWeitzdoerfer, Germany.
  2. Scientific research applications for research labs (Fig.3, 5, 7), e.g., iFire for the fire scientists at UNSW Canberra and CSIRO, Australia.
  3. Responder training applications for emergency facilities (Fig. 9) e.g., Immersive Fires for Fire and Rescue NSW Emergency Services Academy, Sydney, Australia.
  4. Resident engagement applications for broadcast and online media (Fig. 11) e.g., Understanding the Fires of Tomorrow for the ABC, Australia.

iFire: Pine Plantation Case Study. 2025

Case Study One: Pine Plantation Fire
Fig. 2 CSIRO. Pine Plantation Fire. SPARK Simulation. 2023
Fig. 3 UNSW. Pine Plantation Fire. UNREAL Visualisation. 2025

Case Study Two: Grassland Fire
Fig 4 CSIRO. Grasslands Fire. SPARK Simulation. 2023
Fig. 5 UNSW. Grasslands Fire. UNREAL Visualisation. 2025

Case Study Three: Mountain Forest Fire
Fig. 6 UNSW. Bridger Foothills Fire.WRF-SFIRE Simulation. 2023
Fig. 7 UNSW. Bridger Foothills Fire. WRF–SFIRE Simulation. 2025

The case studies are translated into a range of applications for:

  1. researchers – scientific visualisations for labs; Fig. 8.
  2. researchers – artistic visualisations for exhibitions; Fig. 10.
  3. responders – training for cinematic theatres (Fig. 9). 
  4. resident educational broadcasts for smart phones (Fig. 11).
Fig. 8 Researcher (Scientific) Visualisation. UNSW Sydney. 2024
Fig. 9 Responder Training. Fire and Rescue NSW. 2025
Fig. 10 Researcher (Artistic) Visualisation. ISEA. 2024
Fig. 11 Resident Educational Broadcast. ABC Australia. 2025

iFire 1.0 is focused on providing diverse audiences and stakeholders the immersive experience and practical understanding of the fires that are now becoming increasingly intense and frequent. Depicting this new landscape demands the modelling of multiple wildfire kinetic and spatial processes which cannot be understood by human cognition alone.

This requires the integration of the speed and scale of AI in establishing patterns and predicting fire behaviours with the subtlety and adaptability of human perception. iFire 2.0 involves an intelligent aesthetic that evolves and grows by learning from human behaviour. It allows researchers and stakeholders to interact with unanticipated fire scenarios that operate independently of user expectations. By generating unforeseen behaviours, iFire 2.0 enables users to better understand and master the distributed dynamics of fire scenarios in a safe virtual environment. Assembling histories and expertise from diverse backgrounds, it integrates them into an intelligent database with a library of fire behaviours, management procedures and protocols. By offering dynamic and life-like possible encounters where users can rehearse their response, it enhances resident, responder and researcher risk perception, situational awareness and decision making.

It assembles a repertoire of expertise ranging across AI, computer graphics, creative arts, database architecture, interaction design, fire management and immersive visualisation. The end result is a visualisation eco-system that can be utilised by research labs, creative enterprises, emergency services and resident organisations in situ. 

References
    • Del Favero, D. (2026). Equinox. Art Installation. Duesseldorf/Cologne Open, Galerie Schenkweitzdoerfer, Cologne, Germany; Art Cologne, Cologne, Germany; SNAP, Royal College of Art; SXSW (SXSW), Sydney [accepted 1 Dec 2025]
    • Del Favero, D., M.J. Ostwald, Y. Song & S. Thurow (2026). iFire 2.0. Computer Graphic Creative Work. Duesseldorf/Cologne Open, Galerie Schenkweitzdoerfer, Cologne, Germany; SNAP, Royal College of Art; SXSW, Sydney [accepted 1 Nov 2025]
    • Del Favero, D., M.J. Ostwald, Y. Song, K. Moinuddin & G. Penney (2025). iFire 1.0. Melbourne Design Week, Victorian College of the Arts, South Melbourne; Royal College of Art, London, UK.
    • Del Favero, D., M.J. Ostwald, Y. Song, P. Donoghue & T. Leslie (2025). Understanding the Fires of Tomorrow. Sydney: ABC. Link.
    • Del Favero, D., M.J. Ostwald, Y. Song, L. Clemente, M. Flores Gonzalez, R. Huang, S. Thurow, G. Herrera & G. Drummond (2023-25). Immersive Fires. [Firefighter Simulation Training System]. Fire + Rescue NSW Emergency Services Academy, Orchard Hills (permanent deployment); Melbourne Design Week, Virtual Production Lab, The University of Melbourne; SNAP Visualisation Lab, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom; 2024 AFAC Conference, Fire+Rescue NSW Emergency Services Academy, Orchard Hills.
    • Del Favero, D., Y. Song, C. Green & K. Moinuddin (2023-24). Penumbra. ISEA, Constellations @ QUT, Brisbane; SIGGRAPH Asia, ICC Sydney, Sydney; Viscera, Cavallerizza, Turin; Art Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Duesseldorf/Cologne Open, Galerie Brigitte Schenk, Cologne, Germany.
    • Thurow, S. (ed.) (2026). Picturing the CLimate Emergency. Sydney: UNSW Press [forthcoming, accepted 5 Feb 2025].
    • Del Favero, D., S. Thurow, M. Ostwald & U. Frohne (eds) (2024). Climate Disaster Preparedness: Reimagining Extreme Events Through Art and Technology. Cham: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-56114-6.
    • Ostwald, M.J., D. Del Favero & G. Drummond (2026). "Developing iFire 1.0: A Visualisation Environment for Training First Responders and Incident Commanders," in N. Gu, R. Yu, A. Cunningham, A. Drogemuller & B. Thomas (eds.), Immersive Virtual Environments in Design and Collaboration (pp. tbc.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. [in press, accepted 30 Nov 2025]
    • Del Favero, D., M.J. Ostwald, Y. Song, G. Drummond & A. Asadipour (2026). "AI-based Scenario Visualisation for Climate Disaster Preparedness: A New Research Framework," in M.T. Cruz & P. Teuchmann (eds.), Digital Ecology in Arts and Humanities: Epistemology, Aesthetics and Politics (pp. tbc). Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam Press. [in press, accepted 20 May 2025]
    • Thurow, S., D. Del Favero, J.J. Sharples, K. Moinuddin & C. Green (2025, in print). “Applying an Immersive Intelligent Aesthetic to Wildfire Visualisation: Exploring Terrestrial Agency,” in S. Parry, A. Senior & P. Johnson (eds), The Routledge Companion to Performance and Science (pp. 273-87). Abingdon/New York: Routledge. [forthcoming, 20 Oct 2025].
    • Del Favero, D., S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald & U. Frohne (2024). "Introduction," in D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald & U. Frohne (eds), Climate Disaster Preparedness Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology (pp. 1-3).  Cham: Springer. Link.
    • Del Favero, D., S. Thurow, M. Pagnucco & U. Frohne (2024). “Reimagining Extreme Event Scenarios: The Aesthetic Visualisation of Climate Uncertainty to Enhance Preparedness,” in D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald & U. Frohne (eds), Climate Disaster Preparedness Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology (pp. 7-24).  Cham: Springer. Link.
    • Brits, B., Y.  Song & C. Tirado Cortes (2024). “Immersive Visualisation Systems as Alignment Strategies for Extreme Event Scenarios,” in D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald & U. Frohne (eds), Climate Disaster Preparedness Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology (pp. 65-76).  Cham: Springer. Link.
    • Thurow, S., H. Grehan & M. Pagnucco (2024). “Representing the Climate Crisis: Aesthetic Framings in Contemporary Performing and Visual Arts,” in D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald & U. Frohne (eds), Climate Disaster Preparedness Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology(pp. 107-20).  Cham: Springer. Link.
    • Cunningham, S., S. Park, K. McCallum, D. Del Favero & J. Fulton (2024). “Culture, Creativity, and Climate: A Dangerous Gap in Policies of Preparedness,” in D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald & U. Frohne (eds), Climate Disaster Preparedness Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology(pp. 169-81). Cham: Springer. Link.
    • Cheung, K.K.W., J.J. Sharples, D. Del Favero & C.A. Tirado Cortes (2025). "Dynamic Fire-Atmosphere Interaction in the 2020 Montana Bridger Foothills Wildfire as Revealed by WRF-SFIRE Simulations," npj Natural Hazards  2, Art. 75. DOI: 10.1038/s44304-025-00132-0.
    • Thurow, S. (2025). “Reframing Terrestrial Agency through Digitally Augmented Aesthetics across Theatre and Installation Art,” Journal of Contemporary Drama in English (JCDE) 13.1: 204-22. DOI: 10.1515/jcde-2025-2012
    • Tirado Cortes, C., S. Thurow, A. Ong, J.J. Sharples, T. Bednarz, G. Stevens & D Del Favero (2024). “Analysis of Wildfire Visualization Systems for Research and Training: Are They Up for the Challenge of the Current State of Wildfires?,” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 30: 4285-4303. Link.
    • Thurow, S., H. Grehan & J. Davidson (2024). “Performing Arts and the Climate Emergency: Horizon-Scanning the Futures of Practice and Scholarship,” Australasian Drama Studies 83: 12-37.
    • Frohne, U.  (2023). “Night Drifts Above the Earth,” Dennis Del Favero. Viscera (Exhibition Catalogue) (28-31.) Turin: Recontemporary.
    • Tirado Cortes, C.A., M. Flores Gonzalez, R.J. Hurley & D. Del Favero (2025). "Designing an Immersive Wildfire Visualization System for Firefighters," Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (10 pages). DOI: 10.1145/3706599.3719903
    • Flores Gonzalez, M., C.A. Tirado Cortes & D. Del Favero (2025). "Tablet as an Enabler for Immersive Visceral Experiences," Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (9 pages). DOI: 10.1145/3706599.3719955
    • Blachut, C., J.J. Sharples, K. Cheung & D. Del Favero (2025). "The Effect of Ignition Protocol on Dynamic Fire Propagation in the Bridger Foothills Fire," MODSIM2025 Congress, Art. 461. Link.
    • Huang, R., A. Asadipour, D. Del Favero & Y. Song (2025). "iFire AI: AI-powered Wildfire Simulation and 3D Immersive Visualisation," CA22164 – european Network on Extreme fiRe behaviOr (NERO), Nicosia, Cyprus, Sep 23.
    • Thurow, S. (2024). “More-Than-Human. Explorations in Performance, New Media and Terrestrial Aesthetics,” Theatre in the Digital Age – 32nd Annual CDE Conference, Department of English @ University of Innsbruck & Tiroler Bildungsinstitut Grillhof – May 4.
    • Del Favero, D, C.A. Tirado Cortes, R.J. Hurley, G. Drummond & M.J. Ostwald (2024). "iFire: AI Immersive Visualisation to Enhance Fire Training Sensemaking,"  AFAC 2024, FRNSW Emergency Services Academy, Orchard Hills.
    • Del Favero, D., S. Thurow, U. Frohne, K. Moinuddin, A. Sharma & Y. Song (2023). “Re-Imagining the Climate Emergency Using AI Visualisation,” presented at RE:SOURCE – 10th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science & Technology, Venice Centre for Digital & Public Humanities, Università Ca’Foscari Venice, Italy, 13-16 September. 
    • Del Favero, D., S. Thurow, A. Blackler & A. Asadipour (2023). “Terrestrial Aesthetics. Transforming the Understanding of and Engagement with Extreme Events,” presented at Arts and Humanities in Digital Transition Conference, Institute of Communication, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal, 6-7 July.
    • Del Favero, D., Y. Song, K. Moinuddin, C. Green, J.J. Sharples, A. Ong & N. Brohier (2023). “Penumbra2.0,” in ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 Art Gallery. Sydney: ACM. DOI: 10.1145/3610537.3622946. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3610537.3622946
    • Thurow, S., D. Del Favero, J.J. Sharples, J. Davidson & G. Stevens (2022). “Visualizing the Unpredictable Behavior of Wildfire Using an Artificially Intelligent Aesthetic,” in P. Alsina, L. Vila, S. Tesconi, J. Soler-Adillon & E. Mor (eds),  Proceedings of the 27th International Symposium on Electronic Art (696-98). Barcelona: ISEA International. DOI: 10.7238/ISEA2022.Proceedings.http://dx.doi.org/10.7238/ISEA2022.Proceedings

The iFire program is financially supported under the Australian Research Council’s Laureate funding scheme.

ARC Project Director: ARC Laureate Fellow Professor Dennis Del Favero

ARC Project Collaborators and Partners: see Project Collaborators and Partners

ARC Project Title: Burning landscapes: reimagining unpredictable scenarios

Project Funding: ARC FL200100004

2021-2025
Position Name
Executive Director ARC Laureate Fellow Dennis Del Favero
Co-Director Prof. Michael J. Ostwald
Co-Director ARC Future Fellow Aspro Yang Song
Office of National Intelligence Post Doc Fellow Dr Baylee Brits
ARC Laureate Post Doc Fellow Dr Susanne Thurow (Associate Director)
ARC Laureate Post Doc Fellow Dr Renhao Huang (Associate Director)
ARC Laureate Senior Programmer Navin Brohier
ARC Laureate Programmer Nora Perry
ARC Laureate Programmer Dylan Shorten
ARC Laureate 3D Modeller Scott Cotterell
ARC Laureate PhD Mario Flores Gonzalez
ARC Laureate PhD Frank Wu
CSIRO PhD Nagida Helsby-Clark
ARC Laureate MA Lara Clemente

Australian Industry Advisory Committee

  • Arul Baskaran (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  • Rohan Scott (ACT Emergency Services Agency)
  • Mark Beech (ACT Parks & Conservation Service)
  • Conor McDonald (AFAC – Land Management Group)
  • Sandra Lunardi (AFAC – Land Management Group)
  • Greg Mullins (Climate Council)
  • Richard Hurley (CSIRO / Data61)
  • Mahesh Prakash (CSIRO / Data61)
  • Nick McCarthy (Country Fire Authority – Victoria)
  • Brett Wagstaff (Country Fire Authority – Victoria)
  • Greg Drummond (Fire and Rescue NSW – Emergency Services Academy)
  • Phillip Etienne - (Fire and Rescue NSW – Emergency Services Academy)
  • Gonzalo Herrera (Fire and Rescue NSW – Emergency Services Academy)
  • Jarrod McGrouther (Fire & Rescue NSW – Emergency Services Academy)
  • John Lavery (Fire and Rescue NSW – Emergency Services Academy)
  • David Fuchs (NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; UNSW)
  • Matthew Riley (NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)
  • Stevie Knott (NSW Premier’s Department)
  • Laurence McCoy (NSW Rural Fire Service)
  • Matthew Connell (Powerhouse Museum)
  • Cormac Purcell (Trillium Technologies)
  • Liz Courtney (Unboxed Media)
  • Josh Hopwood (VIC Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action)
  • James Brandwood (WA Department of Fire & Emergency Services – Simulation & Exercise Capability Unit)

European Industry Advisory Committee

  • Héctor Alfaro (Andalucía Region Forest Fire Service; AMAYA Public Agency; Andalucía Government)
  • Juan Caamaño (Pau Costa Foundation)
  • Mariona Boras (Pau Costa Foundation)
  • Nuria Prat Guitart (Pau Costa Foundation)
  • Fabio Silva (Portuguese Special Civil Protection Force)
  • Sébastien Lahaye (SAFE Cluster)

Research Committee

  • Kay Worthington (CSIRO – USA)
  • Ali Asadipour (RCA – UK)
  • Craig Clements (San José State University, USA)
  • Adam Kochanski (San José State University, USA)
  • Ali Tohidi (San José State University, USA)
  • Jane Davidson (The University of Melbourne – Victorian College of the Arts)
  • Charles Green (The University of Melbourne – School of Culture & Communication)
  • Steven Sherwood (UNSW – ARC CoE Climate Extremes)
  • Grant Stevens (UNSW – Arts, Design & Architecture)
  • Jason J. Sharples (UNSW – Canberra)
  • Michael J. Ostwald (UNSW – Arts, Design & Architecture)
  • Maurice Pagnucco (UNSW – Computer Science & Engineering)
  • Yang Song (UNSW – Computer Science & Engineering)
  • Khalid Moinuddin (Victoria University)

Email

Laureate Fellow | Professor Dennis Del Favero
Executive Director
d.delfavero@unsw.edu.au
Fig. 11 UNSW. Pine Plantation. UNREAL Visualisation. 2025