The active fire map is a service offered and produced by NASA FIRMS based on data collected by satellites. The information captured is processed quickly and made available to the public in a few hours. With all this, we can know in a fairly objective way the approximate place where a fire point has occurred and its magnitude.
NASA's Fire Information Resource Management System (FIRMS) distributes active fire data in near real time, within 3 hours of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Array satellite observations. of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometers (VIIRS). MODIS is a sensor that works with a resolution of one pixel per 1km, while VIIRS improves the spatial resolution to 375m and its night performance is much greater.
More information at: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/firms
On the other hand, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) within the Copernicus project of the European Union, collects the data provided by NASA FIRMS and applies methodologies to obtain an improved product. In this aspect, a better visualization of the data is obtained and the rapid damage assessment (RDA) is added, obtaining the mapping of the burned areas.
Information on active fires is normally updated 6 times a day and is available in EFFIS within 2-3 hours after MODIS/VIIRS images are acquired.
More information at: https://effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu
Active fire detection: https://effis.jrc.ec.europa .eu/about-effis/technical-background/active-fire-detection
Rapid Damage Assessment (RDA): https://effis.jrc. ec.europa.eu/about-effis/technical-background/rapid-damage-assessment
When interpreting the hotspots shown on the map, the following should be taken into account:
- The location of the access point on the map is only precise within the spatial precision of the sensor.
- Some fires may be small or obscured by smoke or clouds and go unnoticed.
- Satellites also detect other heat sources (not all hot spots are fires).
- The map legend can be consulted by pressing Lꜛ in the layer selector
