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While we have made the symbols on bushfire.io as intuitive as possible, this legend provides further detail on sources of information and how to interpret it.

Warnings

The bushfire warnings are sourced from all Australian states and territories. They can appear as a highlighted area (a polygon), or a single flame symbol. The bushfire warning system includes:

Advice A fire has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.

A fire has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes. Watch and Act There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.

There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family. Emergency Warning An Emergency Warning is the highest level of bushfire alert. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.

An Emergency Warning is the highest level of bushfire alert. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk. Not Applicable Advice regarding an incident which has occurred.

Victoria typically marks where the fire may be .

. NSW and other states typically mark where the fire is .

. Victoria also includes 'Community Update' and 'Evacuate Now' level warnings.

The warning system is largely consistent across Australia. Some important deviations include:

Incidents

Fire related 'incidents' may or may not relate to a Warning. Types of incidents include:

Fire - Uncontrolled The reported location of a fire. This may be a bushfire, grassfire, building fire, fire alarm or non-building fire. The location of the icon shows where the fire has started but does not show how far it has spread.

The reported location of a fire. This may be a bushfire, grassfire, building fire, fire alarm or non-building fire. The location of the icon shows where the fire has started but does not show how far it has spread. Fire - Controlled The reported location of a fire. This may be a bushfire, grassfire, building fire, fire alarm or non-building fire. The location of the icon shows where the fire has started but does not show how far it has spread.

The reported location of a fire. This may be a bushfire, grassfire, building fire, fire alarm or non-building fire. The location of the icon shows where the fire has started but does not show how far it has spread. Fire - Backburn The general location of a planned burn that is currently underway on public land. Firefighters are managing the burn but flames and smoke may be visible.

The general location of a planned burn that is currently underway on public land. Firefighters are managing the burn but flames and smoke may be visible. Damaging Winds A strong, gale or damaging wind warning.

Burn Areas

These are areas which have previously been burnt by fire.

Hotspots

The hotspot colours are based on the energy output (e.g. radiant heat) measured in megawatts (MW), with red being the hottest. The edges/border of the circle represent recency, with the newer hotspots appearing more solid, and will fade over time. The radius is indicative of the resolution of the satellite's sensor, the smaller (350m radius) circles indicate a more precise position. One megawatt is the same output as 10 car engines.

Hotspot Scale: 1, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, 500 MW

Satellite hotspots are usually detected every six hours, approximately 1-2 hours after the satellite has passed overhead.

Aircraft

Yellow aircraft indicate a single fire fighting/observation aircraft.

Grey denotes an aircraft which has not moved (or there is no data) for 5 minutes or more.

Aircraft will remain visible for up to 4 hours after they cease operating. Clicking on an aircraft will display additional details such as aircraft type, role and the aircraft’s historical path for the current operation.

There are various types of aircraft, some you may see include:

Helicopters

Helicopters Small planes

Small planes Large planes

Altitude Scale: 0-100, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000+ M

Road Hazards

Only fire fighting/observational aircraft are shown, based on the National Aerial Firefighting Centre's list of aircraft. The aircraft are less likely to fly at night as the majority operate under visual flight rules.

Road hazards are denoted as and indicate closed or hazardous roads. You may also note a red line around the symbol which indicates the extent of the road closure.

Weather Observations

We use wind barbs (the weird looking symbols) to indicate average wind observations (actual wind) and temperature (the colour of the barb) over a large area. Interpret the barb as if the wind is blowing along the central fin, toward the circle, as if you fired an arrow and it's flying with the wind. Use the following rules:

A pennant indicates 50 km/h of wind;

A long 'feather' indicates 10 km/h of wind; and

A short 'feather' indicates 5 km/h of wind.

Temperature Scale: < 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40+ °C

The example image has three long feathers, so 30 km/h of wind blowing toward the south. Clicking on an arrow will bring up additional weather observations for that location such as average wind gusts, humidity and temperature.

Wind Overlay

The wind overlay (the particles/meteors flying across the screen) indicate the wind forecasted (not observed) at the current time. As such, the wind bard/wind observations are more accurate, and the wind overlay is more of a guide. The faster the wind forecasted, the faster the particles move across the screen. Colours also change with greater wind speed – from green/blue through yellow to purple.

Map Orientation

The map is oriented north-up. Toward the top of the screen is north, toward the bottom of the screen is south. If you turn on 'locate me' there is an arrow which shows your relative orientation.