Wildfire Knowledge Graph · Fire Investigation
The specific location where available evidence indicates a fire began, when it can be determined to the required level of confidence.
In plain language
The specific location where available evidence indicates a fire began, when it can be determined to the required level of confidence.
Why it matters
Point of Origin is useful because it separates one specific part of wildfire behaviour, exposure, operations or evidence from nearby concepts that can otherwise be mixed together.
Point of origin: accuracy cannot be inferred from map pins
The point of origin is the location where a fire first ignited, as established or estimated by appropriate investigation. A dispatch coordinate, an incident name on a map, an early hotspot and a final origin finding can refer to different locations. They must not be presented as interchangeable.
Map example: an incident map may show a pin at the centroid of a report, a nearby road junction or an approximate response location. Reporting that pin to six decimal places adds apparent precision without proving metre-level positional accuracy. A precise coordinate format is not the same as a precise underlying observation.
A credible origin statement should specify who established it, by which method, whether it is an area or point estimate, its spatial uncertainty and the date of the finding. When an investigation lists only a general origin area, mapping a single ‘exact spot’ is misleading.
Origin determination is distinct from cause determination. Locating the earliest burning area does not by itself identify the igniting heat source or responsible person.
See Origin Area, Ignition Source and map resolution vs accuracy.