Overview
The Simtable is a tangible computing surface that projects interactive simulations onto a physical sand or terrain model. Real geography, real elevation, real fuels, and real road networks rendered at the speed of touch. Participants gather around the table to start a fire, release a contaminant, breach a dam, or trigger an evacuation, then watch the consequences unfold across their own community. The platform combines agent-based modeling, data visualization, and direct human-computer interaction to turn traditional sand table exercises into a living, editable representation of the landscape. Scenarios are dynamically generated from existing GIS data, allowing instant changes to maps, weather, fuels, and topography during a session.
AnyHazard is the all-hazards application layer that runs on the Simtable. Wildland fire progressions account for wind speed and direction, slope, and fuels. The Water Module visualizes rainstorms, watersheds, dam breaches and flash flooding from configurable point or uniform precipitation sources. The Hazmat Module models contaminant plumes that respond to terrain and wind, supporting parameter estimation and dispersion analysis. The Evacuation Module spawns agent-based traffic models that surface congestion points and escape route bottlenecks before they happen in the field. Together these modules give incident command, trainees, and community stakeholders a shared, editable picture of any hazard their region faces.
The Simtable is most widely used for Training, Planning, and Community Outreach. Professional first responders use it for sand table exercises, After Action Reviews, and mitigation and fuels planning. Communities use it to visualize wildfire and flood risk to their own homes and to organize collective action for resilience. Educators use it to teach watershed dynamics, fire behavior, post-fire forest restoration, and smart-city concepts. Multi-user interactive features allow distributed operations where people can collaborate on the same scenario from different locations.
The videos below document Simtable and AnyHazard in training, community outreach, and live demonstration contexts.
Video Archive / 6 Records
Simtable / AnyHazard Demonstration
A walkthrough of the features and functions of Simtable and AnyHazard as used for emergency operations training and community outreach.
Simtable Hardware Setup
A guide to setting up the Simtable hardware and preparing the unit for use. Intended as a reference alongside the printed manual for new and returning operators.
AnyHazard: Simtable Software Overview
An orientation to the AnyHazard software that runs on the Simtable. Covers the user interface and introduces the core feature set, providing a starting point for new operators learning to build and run scenarios on their Simtable.
Science in 60: Tabletop Fire Prediction at Los Alamos National Laboratory
At the Interagency Fire Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the emergency operations team uses Simtable to simulate wildland fire spread across any terrain, accounting for weather, vegetation, and fuel conditions. Includes camera-based object tracking and projection developed at the Laboratory, with user-interface improvements supported by the LANS Venture Acceleration Fund.
New South Wales Community Outreach with Simtable
Community outreach deployment in New South Wales, Australia, showing how Simtable is used to engage residents with the bushfire and emergency risks specific to their local landscape.
Simtable: Bushfire Scenario Demonstration (Victoria, Australia)
A bushfire scenario demonstration from the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, showing how Simtable visualizes the passage of fire through a landscape in 3D as an engagement tool for community education and planning.