ORI Heat
Purpose: Heat is now the deadliest weather hazard in Australia, claiming more lives than storms, floods, and bushfires combined. Educators, event organisers, and expedition leaders working outdoors need a way to predict and manage this risk. ORI Heat is a free, web-based planning tool, developed as part of the EMU Systems startup for NatCORR (National Centre of Outdoor Risk and Resilience) and Outward Bound Australia, that delivers a 7-day heat stress forecast, tailored activity recommendations, and specific guidance for outdoor programs.
My contribution: I was the main developer of ORI Heat — I built the website and its visuals, the automated PDF report generation, and worked on the underlying heat stress model.
Features:
- 7-day heat stress risk forecast, calculated from activity level, clothing, and duration paired with environmental data.
- Monthly heat stress risk planner to explore anticipated conditions and risk ratings at a chosen location and date, using typical meteorological data.
- Simple, one-click PDF heat risk reports summarising the actions taken to prepare for and mitigate heat stress, ready to share with managers, clients, or guests.
- Free to use for the entire outdoor sector, with no locked features.
How it works: The risk score is calculated from air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed, combined with the specific activity details provided by the user. These inputs are processed through a validated human thermophysiological model that simulates how the body responds to heat, producing a science-backed heat stress risk estimate for any outdoor activity and location in Australia.
Impact: ORI Heat supports the outdoor education and adventure sector — including school groups, guides, and event organisers — in planning around and mitigating heat risk in a changing climate.
Link: outdoorrisk.org