Firemap is a tool that allows you to view recent fire outbreaks around the world. It quickly maps hotspots using a simple viewer, allowing you to:
- Zoom in on the location
- Modify the cartographic base (orthophoto, topography, and Open Street Map)
- Geoposition using GPS
- Obtain data through measurements
- Draw maps with fire hotspots
Active fires are located based on the so-called thermal anomalies they produce. Algorithms compare the temperature of a potential fire with the temperature of the surrounding land cover; if the temperature difference exceeds a certain threshold, the potential fire is confirmed as an active fire or "hotspot."
When interpreting the fires shown on the map, the following should be kept in mind:
- The location of the hotspot on the map is only accurate within the spatial accuracy 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 viewed by clicking on the layer selector.
The active fire map is a service offered and produced by NASA FIRMS based on data collected by the MODIS/VIIRS sensors onboard satellites. The information collected is processed quickly and made publicly available within a few hours. This allows us to objectively determine the approximate location of a fire and its magnitude.
NASA's Fire Information System for Resource Management (FIRMS), created by the U.S., distributes active fire data in near real-time, within three hours of satellite observation by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). MODIS is a sensor built into the TERRA and AQUA satellites, operating at a resolution of one pixel per 1 km. VIIRS, on board the NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP), improves spatial resolution to 375 m, and offers much greater nighttime performance.
More information at: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/firms
On the other hand, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), part of the European Union's Copernicus project, collects data provided by NASA FIRMS and applies methodologies to obtain an improved product. This provides a visualization of the data by date, filtering out possible errors, and adding a Rapid Damage Assessment (RDA) to obtain a mapping of burned areas.
Information on active fires is typically updated six times a day and is available in EFFIS within 2-3 hours of MODIS/VIIRS image acquisition.
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
Web:
https://www.geamap.com/en/fires