Situational awareness platform for Canadian public safety and emergency management. Data is fetched automatically β no manual refresh needed.
| Feed | Source | Client | Cache |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAAD Alerts | Pelmorex TCP | 10 sec | Live |
| Heartbeat | NAAD | 15 sec | Live |
| Weather Radar | RainViewer | 2 min | 2 min |
| Wildfires | CWFIS (NRCan) | 5 min | 5 min |
| Hotspots | NASA FIRMS VIIRS | 5 min | 10 min |
| Earthquakes | USGS | 5 min | 5 min |
| River Levels | ECCC Hydrometric | 5 min | 10 min |
| Air Quality | ECCC AQHI (obs + forecast) | 5 min | 15 min |
| Power Outages | FortisAlberta + ATCO Electric + BC Hydro | 5 min | 5 min |
| NOTAMs | Configurable | 5 min | 10 min |
| Smoke Forecast | ECCC FireWork (WMS) | Client | WMS tiles |
| Situation Ticker | Claude AI (Anthropic) | 5 min | 5 min |
| Space Weather | NOAA SWPC Scales | 5 min | Client |
| π₯ FireSense | Open-Meteo GEM + Van Wagner FWI | On demand | 4 hrs |
| π» APRS Beacons | APRS-IS (rotate.aprs2.net) | 30 sec | Live (2h TTL) |
| ποΈ Drought Monitor | Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (WMS) | On toggle | WMS tiles |
| π NetSense | IODA (Georgia Tech/CAIDA) | 5 min | 5 min |
| β’οΈ RadSense | Safecast (CC0) | 5/10 min | 5 min |
| πΆ CellSense | ISED Canada + SRTM/Mapzen Terrain | Pre-computed (monthly) | Static |
| ποΈ Drought Monitor | AAFC (agriculture.canada.ca) | On demand | 24 hrs |
π₯ FireSense β Wildfire Startup Risk Methodology
FireSense is Hazardscape's custom wildfire ignition risk overlay. It computes wildfire startup potential across ~85 sample points spanning Canada's fire-prone boreal belt, interior BC, prairies fringe, and northern regions. Each point is evaluated using the full Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System (Van Wagner & Pickett, 1985), the same framework used by Canada's official CWFIS.
Data Sources
Weather data comes from Open-Meteo using Environment Canada's GEM (Global Environmental Multiscale) model. For each grid point we fetch: daily max temperature (Β°C), min relative humidity (%), max wind speed (km/h), and 24-hour precipitation sum (mm). We request 14 days of historical data for FWI warmup plus 3 days of forecast, giving the moisture codes time to accumulate properly.
FWI System Components (Van Wagner 1985)
The FWI System has six components calculated daily in sequence:
FFMC (Fine Fuel Moisture Code) β moisture content of litter and fine fuels. Indicates ease of ignition.
Driven by temperature, humidity, wind, and rain. Start-up value: 85.
DMC (Duff Moisture Code) β moisture in loosely compacted organic layers of moderate depth.
Indicates fuel consumption potential. Includes a day-length adjustment factor by month. Start-up value: 6.
DC (Drought Code) β moisture in deep, compact organic layers. Tracks long-term seasonal drought.
Slow-responding; takes weeks to build. Start-up value: 15.
ISI (Initial Spread Index) β expected rate of fire spread. Derived from FFMC and wind speed.
BUI (Buildup Index) β total fuel available for combustion. Combines DMC and DC.
FWI (Fire Weather Index) β overall fire intensity rating. Combines ISI and BUI.
This is the primary danger rating used across Canada.
DSR (Daily Severity Rating) β difficulty of fire control. Power function of FWI.
FireSense Composite Score (0β100)
The final FireSense score blends four factors:
70% β Normalized FWI (FWI/30 Γ 100, capped at 100).
Up to +15 pts β Drought bonus when DC exceeds 200.
Up to +10 pts β Duff dryness bonus when DMC exceeds 40.
Up to +10 pts β Trend bonus when the 7-day FWI slope is positive (rising risk). Computed via linear regression over the last 7 days of FWI values; slope Γ 2, capped at 10. A rising trend toward drier, hotter conditions signals increasing ignition risk even before FWI peaks.
Grid points where the last 3 days of temperature are all below 0Β°C are automatically scored 0 (frozen/snow-covered).
Trend Analysis & Prediction
A 7-day linear regression on FWI values determines trend direction (rising/falling/stable) and slope. The slope is extrapolated to produce 12-hour and 24-hour FWI predictions. Click any FireSense region on the map to see 17-day, 7-day, and weather charts with trend visualizations in the detail panel.
Visualization
Grid points are rendered as Voronoi polygons β each polygon represents the area closest to that sample point, creating a seamless regional heatmap. Colours range from green (very low risk) through yellow, orange, red, to purple (extreme risk). Click any region for the full FWI breakdown.
FWI Start-up Procedure
Following Turner & Lawson (1978), we initialize with spring start-up defaults for areas with significant winter snow cover: FFMC=85, DMC=6, DC=15. The 14-day historical warmup allows the moisture codes to reach realistic values before the forecast period. Days below -5Β°C are skipped as the FWI system is not meaningful when fuels are frozen.
References: Van Wagner, C.E.; Pickett, T.L. (1985). Equations and FORTRAN program for the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System. CFS Forestry Tech. Report 33. Β· Turner, J.A.; Lawson, B.D. (1978). Weather in the CFFDRS: A user guide. Β· Lawson, B.D.; Armitage, O.B. (2008). Weather Guide for the CFFDRS.
Abbreviations:
FWI β Fire Weather Index
FFMC β Fine Fuel Moisture Code
DMC β Duff Moisture Code
DC β Drought Code
ISI β Initial Spread Index
BUI β Buildup Index
DSR β Daily Severity Rating
RH β Relative Humidity
GEM β Global Environmental Multiscale
CFFDRS β Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System
CWFIS β Canadian Wildland Fire Information System
ECCC β Environment and Climate Change Canada
Note: FireSense is an independent calculation by Hazardscape, not an official CWFIS product. It uses the same published FWI equations but differs in grid resolution, weather data source, and composite scoring methodology. Always consult cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca for official Canadian fire danger ratings.
πΆ CellSense β Cell Coverage Analysis Methodology
CellSense is Hazardscape's cell coverage estimation overlay. It combines cell tower location data with terrain elevation analysis to model where cellular signals can and cannot reach across Canada. Unlike carrier-published coverage maps (which use proprietary RF propagation models and tend to be optimistic), CellSense uses an independent approach combining line-of-sight terrain obstruction, EIRP-based signal power, 3D antenna beam patterns, and Fresnel zone physics to identify the true dead zones.
Data Sources
Tower data: ISED Canada's Spectrum Management System β the authoritative, legally mandated
database of every licensed cell site in Canada. The dataset provides 13 fields per tower used in the model:
coordinates, antenna height, structure height, radio technology, transmit frequency, transmit power,
antenna gain (dBi), horizontal azimuth, horizontal beamwidth, omnidirectional indicator, vertical electrical tilt,
surveyed site elevation (metres ASL), and licensee (carrier) name.
Updated monthly by ISED.
Elevation data: AWS Terrain Tiles (Mapzen/Tilezen), derived from NASA SRTM.
Terrarium format PNG tiles at zoom 12 (~40m/pixel), stitched into a continuous raster per
latitude band. Used for receiver ground elevation and 12-point LOS terrain sampling.
Tower ground elevation: Where available, ISED's surveyed site elevation (sub-metre
accuracy) is used for the tower base height. This is significantly more accurate than the ~40m terrain raster
for the critical tower-tip calculation. Falls back to raster lookup when ISED data is absent.
Coverage Computation Method (v5 RF Model)
Canada is divided into a grid spanning 42Β°β62Β°N, 141Β°β52Β°W at configurable resolution (default 1km).
For each grid cell, the 8 closest towers within 25km are analysed using a 9-factor signal model:
1. EIRP-Scaled Distance Attenuation β Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) is calculated as
EIRP = tx_power Γ 10^(gain_dBi/10). A reference EIRP of 317W (20W + 12dBi, typical macro cell)
defines the baseline range. Higher EIRP extends effective range by β(EIRP/317), lower EIRP shrinks it.
Signal attenuates as 1 β (distance / effective_range)^1.5. This means a 40W tower with 17dBi gain
(EIRP = 2,000W) reaches ~2.5Γ farther than a 5W small cell with 5dBi gain (EIRP = 16W).
2. Horizontal Antenna Directionality β bearing from tower to target vs. ISED antenna azimuth.
4-zone pattern: main lobe (100% within beamwidth/2), transition (50% at 1.5Γ half-beamwidth),
side lobe (15% at 2Γ), back lobe (5% beyond). Omnidirectional antennas = 100% in all directions.
3. Vertical Tilt Attenuation β the elevation angle from tower antenna tip to receiver (2m AGL) is
compared against ISED's electrical downtilt angle. A tower tilted 8Β° down serves nearby users well but
targets above the beam (at long range) receive only 15% signal. Modelled with Β±5Β° vertical half-beamwidth,
decaying to 15% beyond 15Β° offset. Only applied when ISED provides tilt data.
4. Line-of-Sight (LOS) β 12 elevation samples along the towerβreceiver path at ~40m terrain
resolution. Tower base uses ISED surveyed site elevation when available (sub-metre accuracy),
otherwise terrain raster. Each sample checks if terrain exceeds the LOS line height (with earth curvature
correction: drop = dΒ²/2R Γ 1000m). Fraction of clear samples = LOS factor.
5. Fresnel Zone Clearance β first Fresnel zone radius r = β(λ·dβΒ·dβ/(dβ+dβ))
calculated at each LOS sample using wavelength from ISED transmit frequency. Clearance > 60% of Fresnel
radius = clean; partial intrusion = degraded; full blockage = obstructed. At 700 MHz over 10km, the Fresnel
zone is ~46m wide β a ridge clearing the direct line by only 20m still causes significant loss.
6. Vegetation Attenuation β terrain roughness (elevation Ο), average elevation, and latitude
along the LOS path estimate forest cover: rugged boreal terrain (Ο>40, 44Β°β58Β°N, 100β1200m) = 40% loss;
flat prairie (Ο<10, <500m) = 10% loss; alpine (>1500m) = 15% loss.
7. Technology Weighting β LTE/5G NR/5G DSS receive 10% bonus (spectral efficiency, MIMO);
GSM receives 10% penalty.
8. Signal Combination β all factors multiply: signal = EIRP_distance Γ horiz_gain Γ
vert_tilt Γ LOS Γ (0.5 + 0.5 Γ fresnel) Γ (0.6 + 0.4 Γ vegetation) Γ tech_mult
9. Composite Scoring β best tower contributes full signal; additional towers add 30%/rank.
Capped at 100%.
Score Interpretation
80β100% β Excellent: multiple towers with clear LOS and strong EIRP. Streaming, video calls.
60β79% β Good: reliable from at least one tower. Consistent voice and data.
40β59% β Fair: usable but may drop indoors or in vehicles.
20β39% β Weak: intermittent. Calls may drop; data speeds severely limited.
5β19% β Very Weak: emergency calls may work. Data unlikely.
0β4% β Dead Zone: no towers in range or all paths blocked. No service expected.
Known Limitations
Outdoor coverage only. Building penetration loss (10β25 dB residential, 20β40 dB commercial) is not modelled β indoor coverage will be significantly worse. Vegetation attenuation is estimated from terrain characteristics, not actual land cover β clearcuts and urban parks may be mis-estimated. Weather effects (rain fade >10 GHz), network congestion, carrier-specific frequency allocations, and small cell/femtocell/DAS deployments are not captured. Vertical beamwidth defaults to 10Β° when ISED does not provide the value. Grid resolution means localised variations (valley floor vs. hilltop) may not be fully represented at coarser settings. Always carry a satellite communicator when venturing into weak/no coverage areas.
ISED Data Fields Used (13 of 60+ columns)
latitude, longitude β tower position (distance, bearing)
tx_ant_height, structure_height β antenna tip above ground for LOS
site_elevation β surveyed ground elevation ASL (preferred over terrain raster)
technology β LTE/5GNR/HSPA/GSM β tech multiplier
tx_frequency β frequency-aware range + Fresnel zone wavelength
tx_power β transmit power in watts β EIRP calculation
tx_ant_gain β antenna gain in dBi β EIRP = power Γ 10^(gain/10)
tx_ant_azimuth β horizontal pointing direction β directional gain
tx_ant_horiz_beamwidth β horizontal beam width β gain zones
tx_ant_omni_indicator β omnidirectional flag β skip azimuth
tx_ant_elev_tilt β vertical downtilt β vertical beam attenuation
licensee_name β carrier identity (display only)
Abbreviations:
LOS β Line of Sight
EIRP β Effective Isotropic Radiated Power
LTE β Long-Term Evolution (4G)
NR β New Radio (5G)
HSPA β High Speed Packet Access (3.5G)
GSM β Global System for Mobile (2G)
ISED β Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada
SRTM β Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
ASL β Above Sea Level
AGL β Above Ground Level
dBi β Decibels relative to isotropic
Fresnel Zone β Elliptical RF clearance area
Azimuth β Antenna pointing direction (Β°N)
Beamwidth β Angular width of main lobe
Downtilt β Vertical antenna angle below horizontal
MIMO β Multiple-Input Multiple-Output
Note: CellSense is an independent analysis by Hazardscape, not affiliated with any wireless carrier. For official coverage maps consult: Bell, Rogers, Telus, Freedom.
Disclaimer β Hazardscape is provided for informational and situational awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for official emergency alerts, professional judgment, or authoritative sources. Do not rely on this platform for life-safety decisions, evacuation orders, or critical emergency response actions. Data is aggregated from third-party sources and may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate. Hazardscape and its creators accept no liability for any loss, damage, or harm arising from the use of this website. Always follow the direction of local authorities and official emergency services. Use at your own risk.
hazardscape.ca
Hazardscape is a free, community-driven situational awareness tool for Canadian public safety and emergency management. If you find it useful, you can buy me a coffee to help keep it running.
Get in touch: colin@imperium.ca
Thank you for your support.
Current version: v0.12.1
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