Aqua MODIS Near Real Time Fire Detection Swath Data

Global satellite data provides twice-daily thermal anomaly and fire detection at a 5-kilometer resolution. The product includes 23 Science Data Sets layers such as fire-mask and radiative power, validated for scientific publication. Data is produced by the LANCEMODIS organization using the Aqua MODIS instrument.

Use Cases

• Classify fire pixels using the fire-mask layer and algorithm quality flags.
• Estimate fire radiative power from the radiative power Science Data Set.
• Monitor daily fire occurrence patterns from the twice-daily Aqua MODIS observations.
• Assess detection confidence by analyzing the 23 Science Data Sets describing fire pixel attributes.

Strengths

• Validated Version-5 products with well-defined uncertainties.
• 23 Science Data Sets layers provide detailed fire pixel attributes.
• Twice-daily observations from Aqua MODIS enable daily monitoring.

Limitations

• Resolution is coarse at 5 kilometers, limiting detection of small fires.
• Product is in swath projection, requiring processing for mapped analysis.
• Uncertainties exist for improved versions beyond the validated release.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata via MODIS/Aqua instrument.

Collection Method

Derived from MODIS 4- and 11-micrometer radiances using a multi-test detection strategy.

Freshness

Near Real Time (NRT) delivery.

Geography

Global.