14 DAY TRIAL // Summer is coming to the Southern Hemisphere and, with it, so are the increasingly common wildfires in Australia. If the extreme temperatures from last year will be making a comeback, Aussies are going to have a tough next few months.
Google has already launched a crisis map for the region, one of the most feature-rich the company has ever made.
"The Google Crisis Map shows information about current fires including their location and size the level of alert, whether the fire is under control and which local emergency response agency is responding to the crisis," Google announced.
"Working with fire authorities across Australia, the Crisis Map is continually updated and can be accessed from any device connected to the web at google.org/crisismap/australia," it explained.
The map not only lists all the fires being tracked across several territories, it also shows other dangers such as car crashes, if they are related to fires in any way – for example, if they may be blocking a road that could be used as an escape route.
Beyond the crisis map, Google is also launching the Public Alerts system in the New South Wales territory. The service issues alerts from authorities via Google Now, Search, or Maps.
In Google Now, you'll get notifications if there's an emergency near your location. With Search or Maps, you'll see the warnings if you search for related information or data about the region affected.
Google is relying on data from several emergency response services, namely NSW Rural Fire Service, the Queensland Rural Fire, the ACT Emergency Services Agency, The Country Fire Service of South Australia, and the Tasmania Fire Service.
"The Google Crisis Map is now available for NSW, SA, QLD, TAS and the ACT and we’re working with authorities to make the service available in all states and territories. We also look forward to expanding Google Public Alerts and working with more local warning providers soon," Google explained.
