Satellite-derived fire data
Welcome to my brand-new fire blog site which is designed to keep you informed about fires, past and present. Using satellite derived fire point and burn scar data from Nasa’s Aqua and Terra satellites, I will be posting maps of Limpopo and North West Province, showing the locations of large fires. There is still a lot of work which needs to be done, but I hope you will find the information I have posted here useful.
About five years ago, I was searching the internet for fire-related sources which could be useful in determining fire risk, and which could thus be used to provide an informed approach to better fire management, when I stumbled upon FIRMS. After subscribing to FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System), I started receiving regular updates of satellite detected fires / hotspots within my selected area, first every 48 hours and then every 24 hours. FIRMS integrates remote sensing and GIS to bring MODIS fire / hotspot data to users around the world. MODIS routinely detects both flaming and smoldering fires of 1000m² in size, but under very good observing conditions, flaming fires one tenth this size can be detected. Some factors such as heavy smoke, cloud cover or a tree canopy can completely obscure a fire from MODIS.
After studying GIS (Geographical Information Systems) I was able to put this data to good use and am keen to assist others who might find this useful since not everyone has access to a geographical information system through which they can process this data. Over the coming months, I hope to provide you with all the information you will need in order to provide you with a whole new perspective on fire in Limpopo and North West Province. Please feel free to leave comments on how I can improve on the site and let me know what your specific requirements are.
