A Probabilistic Approach to Wildfire Spread Prediction Using a Denoising Diffusion Surrogate Model

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Yu, Wenbo, Ghosh, Anirbit, Finn, Tobias Sebastian, Arcucci, Rossella, Bocquet, Marc, Cheng, Sibo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Yu, Wenbo
Ghosh, Anirbit
Finn, Tobias Sebastian
Arcucci, Rossella
Bocquet, Marc
Cheng, Sibo
author_facet Yu, Wenbo
Ghosh, Anirbit
Finn, Tobias Sebastian
Arcucci, Rossella
Bocquet, Marc
Cheng, Sibo
contents Thanks to recent advances in generative AI, computers can now simulate realistic and complex natural processes. We apply this capability to predict how wildfires spread, a task made difficult by the unpredictable nature of fire and the variety of environmental conditions it depends on. In this study, We present the first denoising diffusion model for predicting wildfire spread, a new kind of AI framework that learns to simulate fires not just as one fixed outcome, but as a range of possible scenarios. By doing so, it accounts for the inherent uncertainty of wildfire dynamics, a feature that traditional models typically fail to represent. Unlike deterministic approaches that generate a single prediction, our model produces ensembles of forecasts that reflect physically meaningful distributions of where fire might go next. This technology could help us develop smarter, faster, and more reliable tools for anticipating wildfire behavior, aiding decision-makers in fire risk assessment and response planning.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_00761
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Probabilistic Approach to Wildfire Spread Prediction Using a Denoising Diffusion Surrogate Model
Yu, Wenbo
Ghosh, Anirbit
Finn, Tobias Sebastian
Arcucci, Rossella
Bocquet, Marc
Cheng, Sibo
Machine Learning
Thanks to recent advances in generative AI, computers can now simulate realistic and complex natural processes. We apply this capability to predict how wildfires spread, a task made difficult by the unpredictable nature of fire and the variety of environmental conditions it depends on. In this study, We present the first denoising diffusion model for predicting wildfire spread, a new kind of AI framework that learns to simulate fires not just as one fixed outcome, but as a range of possible scenarios. By doing so, it accounts for the inherent uncertainty of wildfire dynamics, a feature that traditional models typically fail to represent. Unlike deterministic approaches that generate a single prediction, our model produces ensembles of forecasts that reflect physically meaningful distributions of where fire might go next. This technology could help us develop smarter, faster, and more reliable tools for anticipating wildfire behavior, aiding decision-makers in fire risk assessment and response planning.
title A Probabilistic Approach to Wildfire Spread Prediction Using a Denoising Diffusion Surrogate Model
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.00761