Aqua MODIS 8-Day Global Fire and Thermal Anomaly Grid

MODIS/Aqua satellite data provides global 8-day composites of thermal anomalies and fire detections at 1-kilometer resolution. The product includes a fire mask and pixel quality indicators for each grid cell. LPCLOUD generated this version 6 data, which was decommissioned in July 2023.

Use Cases

• Model wildfire risk and spread by analyzing the 8-day maximum fire mask values across regions.
• Track seasonal and interannual trends in thermal anomaly frequency using the time-series of gridded composites.
• Validate other fire detection products by comparing the fire mask and pixel quality indicator layers.
• Assess the impact of known sensor outages, like the August 2020 Aqua outage, on fire detection continuity.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at a consistent 1-kilometer resolution.
• Provides an 8-day temporal composite, reducing data gaps from cloud cover.
• Includes pixel quality indicators to help assess detection confidence.

Limitations

• The dataset was officially decommissioned on July 31, 2023, indicating it is no longer maintained.
• Known issues exist, including flagging of static heat sources and data quality concerns pre-November 2000.
• Specific row counts, sample sizes, and detailed accuracy metrics are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

NASA Aqua satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument.

Collection Method

Remote sensing data processed into Level 3 gridded composites by LPCLOUD.

Time Range

Coverage spans the Aqua MODIS operational period up to its decommissioning in 2023.

Freshness

Data generation ceased; last metadata update was February 25, 2023.

Geography

Global coverage using a sinusoidal (SIN) grid projection.