Evaluating Wildfire Observation Area from Fire Tower using Viewshed Analysis Technique Case study of Doi Tung Development Project, Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

The study "Assessing Wildfire Surveillance Area from Fire Watchtowers Using Viewshed Analysis: A Case Study of Doi Tung Development Project (Reserved Area) under Royal Initiative, Chiang Rai Province" aims to determine the surveillance area for wildfire detection from the five existing fire watchtowers. Geographic Information System (GIS) is utilized to evaluate the surveillance area by employing viewshed analysis techniques. The analysis results indicate that the combined surveillance area from all five fire watchtowers is 42,649 Rai, accounting for 46% of the total study area. Further breakdown by individual watchtowers reveals varying coverage: Tower 1, Tower Phayalo, Tower Fire 7, Tower Fire 10, and Tower Fire 12 can observe areas of 30,526 Rai, 19,447 Rai, 3,808 Rai, 22,331 Rai, and 14,431 Rai, respectively. Additionally, some areas are visible from multiple towers, while others are visible from only one. In summary, the study concludes that only 12% of the total study area can be monitored by a single fire watchtower, indicating a limited surveillance capability. Furthermore, overlapping surveillance areas, observable from multiple towers, only cover 35% of the Doi Tung Development Project area, demonstrating a significantly low coverage compared to the entire area.