MODIS Active Fire Detections for Canada, Updated Within 3 Hours

Near-real-time active fire and thermal anomaly detections covering Canada, derived from NASA's MODIS sensors on the Terra and Aqua satellites. The data is provided by NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) and is continuously updated, typically within 3 hours of satellite acquisition. Files are available in SHP, KML, and CSV formats for time windows of the last 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days.

Use Cases

• Monitor near-real-time wildfire spread based on thermal anomaly data.
• Analyze historical fire frequency and location patterns across Canada.
• Model wildfire risk and environmental impact using satellite-derived fire detections.
• Integrate fire detection points into geospatial dashboards for emergency response.

Strengths

• Data is updated within 3 hours of satellite acquisition, enabling near-real-time monitoring.
• Provides continuous coverage from MODIS sensors since 2000 (Terra) and 2002 (Aqua).
• Available in multiple geospatial formats (SHP, KML, CSV) for different analysis workflows.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and detection confidence require manual inspection.

Provenance

Source

NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS)

Collection Method

Satellite observations from MODIS sensors on Terra and Aqua platforms.

Time Range

Terra data since 2000, Aqua data since 2002; files cover last 24h, 48h, 7d.

Freshness

Continuously updated; last metadata update was 2026-05-13.

Geography

Canada