Bushfires pose an escalating risk across Western Australia due to climate change and increasing landscape dryness. While satellite remote sensing underpins many existing fire risk products, limitations in spatial resolution, revisit frequency, calibration, and utilisation of products constrain their effectiveness for local‑scale fire behaviour assessment and community‑level decision making. This project bridges engineering and remote sensing within the Binar Space Program by developing and applying low‑cost, off‑the‑shelf (OTS) multispectral sensing payloads for deployment on uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and CubeSat platforms. By integrating near‑surface drone observations, high altitude balloon observations, and higher‑frequency spaceborne data, the project will advance methods for estimating vegetation fuel loads and fuel moisture content across diverse Western Australian ecosystems.
In partnership with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and other stakeholders, the project will translate these observations into qualitative fuels monitoring mapping and a community‑facing web‑based visualisation platform, supporting operational, policy, and community fire management needs.
Aim
The primary aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate an integrated, low‑cost UAV, high -altitude balloon (HAB), and CubeSat multispectral sensing framework for estimating forest fuel loads and fuel moisture content, and for translating these measurements into actionable fuels monitoring maps for Western Australia.
Objectives
The research will have the following objectives:
- Design, integrate, or evaluate low‑cost, off‑the‑shelf multispectral sensor payloads suitable for UAV, HAB and CubeSat deployment within the Binar Space Program.
- Acquire multispectral UAV and HAB data and existing satellite data over representative Western Australian ecosystems.
- Develop and test remote sensing methods and indices for estimating vegetation fuel load and fuel moisture content.
- Investigate cross‑scale data fusion approaches linking UAV and HAB observations with CubeSat and conventional satellite data.
- Compare project‑derived products with key government fire and vegetation datasets, including DFES‑relevant products.
- Prototype a community‑facing web mapping platform that visualises and contextualises fuel loads information.
Significance
This project delivers significant scientific, technological, and societal impact by integrating low‑cost engineering, remote sensing innovation, and community-facing tools to address bushfire risk across Western Australia. It aligns with key UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through affordable CubeSat, HAB and UAV sensing systems, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) via improved fire risk information for safer communities, SDG 13 (Climate Action) by enhancing monitoring of climate-driven fire conditions, and SDG 15 (Life on Land) through better ecosystem and land management. By combining UAV and CubeSat observations with a web-based, community-accessible mapping platform, the project creates a scalable, low-cost framework that bridges research, government data products, and local decision-making to enhance fire resilience across diverse landscapes.
Ideal Candidate
We are seeking a highly driven PhD candidate with strong organisational, problem-solving, and project management skills. The ideal applicant will have a background in engineering with some experience in remote sensing, geospatial science, physics, or a related discipline. Experience or coursework in areas such as Python programming, geospatial data analysis (e.g. GIS, raster processing), remote sensing (e.g. multispectral or satellite data), and/or embedded systems or sensor integration would be an advantage. Candidates must be eligible to enrol in a PhD program at Curtin University.
This project is open to Domestic applicants only.
Internship
Through this project you will also have an internship opportunity. More information will be provided at a later date.
Scholarship
If you are identified as the preferred candidate for this project, you may be considered for an RTP scholarship.
Enquires and How to Apply
For enquires about this opportunity contact Dr Robert Howie at Robert.Howie@curtin.edu.au
To formally apply submit an Expression of Interest to Dr Robert Howie during the Central Scholarship round (July 1st – July 31st 2026)