NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) used RACAS® to assess its road and fire-trail network with its own personnel, backed by SHEPHERD’s technology, data processing and remote support. Across the partnership, SHEPHERD remotely supported approximately 45,000 km of road and fire-trail capture, helping NPWS build evidence for bushfire preparedness, asset planning and recovery investment.
With initial RACAS® capture documented in the 2018–19 financial year, the work has developed over several years to support network assessment, funding applications and fire-trail lifecycle planning.
The Challenge
NPWS needed a consistent understanding of road and fire-trail condition across a large, geographically dispersed network. The information needed to support maintenance and renewal priorities alongside Fire Access and Fire Trail (FAFT) planning, including the required vehicle carrying capacity and the current and desired condition of trails.
The assessment process also needed to work in remote areas without mobile reception and make information accessible beyond the field teams collecting it. NPWS required a practical way to capture data using its own personnel, with tools tailored to its assessment requirements and specialist support available behind the scenes.
The Solution
SHEPHERD adapted the RACAS® workflow around NPWS’s fire-trail assessment requirements. Agency personnel undertook the network capture while SHEPHERD provided the technology, data processing and remote assistance needed to support assessment at scale. nsw parks
The workflow included:
- Field capture without mobile reception, with uploads commencing when connectivity returned
- Road and trail imagery linked to agency mapping through RACAS® Hub
- Recording of passing bays, turnaround bays, crossings, culverts, gates and water points
- Agency-wide access to captured information
- Pre- and post-upgrade imagery and trail summary reports to support planning and reporting.
This enabled NPWS to assess its network using its own field capability, rather than relying on a SHEPHERD inspector to undertake every kilometre of capture.
What We Did Differently and Why It Mattered
The delivery model placed NPWS’s own personnel at the centre of the work. SHEPHERD tailored the system to the agency’s requirements and supported its teams remotely, combining client-led capture with specialist processing and technical assistance.
The information also served several purposes beyond the initial assessment. Condition records and imagery could support maintenance and renewal planning, financial asset management, fire-trail upgrade reporting and disaster recovery evidence. This gave NPWS greater value from the same field information and a stronger connection between network condition, investment priorities and reporting requirements.
The work contributed to the evidence and prioritisation underpinning approximately $100 million in DRFA-funded recovery and around $300 million in fire-trail capacity assessment and improvement works. NPWS retained its on-ground capability while accessing the tools and specialist support needed to inform these programs.
Delivered in Partnership
Thank you to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for its collaboration throughout this multi-year partnership. With NPWS personnel undertaking the capture and SHEPHERD supporting the technology and data behind it, the approach helped the agency build a consistent evidence base across a large and dispersed network.
The partnership demonstrates how specialist support can strengthen an agency’s own capability, providing information its teams can use for road and fire-trail planning, bushfire preparedness and recovery decisions.
