MODIS Active Fire Detections for Central America and the Caribbean

Central America and the Caribbean are covered by near-real-time active fire and thermal anomaly detections from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). The data is derived from the MODIS sensor family, with observations from the Terra satellite since 2000 and Aqua since 2002. Files are continuously updated, typically within 3 hours of satellite acquisition.

Use Cases

• Monitor wildfire outbreaks based on near-real-time thermal anomaly detections.
• Analyze fire frequency and distribution patterns across Central America and the Caribbean.
• Model fire risk and fuel conditions based on historical fire detection data.
• Support emergency response and resource allocation based on active fire locations.

Strengths

• Data is updated continuously, typically within 3 hours of satellite acquisition.
• Provides a long-term record from MODIS sensors, with Terra data since 2000 and Aqua since 2002.
• Offers multiple temporal windows (last 24h, 48h, 7d) for analysis.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats (SHP, KML, CSV) for interoperability.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic or temporal bias inherent to the satellite sensor's coverage and overpass schedule.

Provenance

Source

NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS)

Collection Method

Derived from MODIS sensor data on Terra and Aqua satellites.

Time Range

Terra data since 2000, Aqua data since 2002.

Freshness

Continuously updated, typically within 3 hours of acquisition.

Geography

Central America and the Caribbean.