MODIS Terra Daily Fire and Thermal Anomaly Swath Data

MODIS/Terra satellite data provides daily, 5-minute swath observations for detecting active fires and thermal anomalies like volcanoes. Each swath covers an area approximately 2,030 km by 2,300 km. The Version 6 product was decommissioned in July 2023 by LPCLOUD.

Use Cases

• Identify active fire pixels and their confidence levels within 5-minute satellite swaths.
• Map the spatial extent of thermal anomalies, including volcanic activity, using geolocated fire detection data.
• Analyze temporal fire patterns by aggregating daily swath-level detections over longer periods.
• Validate and calibrate higher-level fire products that are generated from this foundational MOD14 data.

Strengths

• Daily global coverage with a 5-minute temporal resolution for swath data.
• Each data swath provides a large spatial footprint of approximately 2,030 km by 2,300 km.

Limitations

• The specific Version 6 product is decommissioned, requiring users to migrate to a newer version.
• Data quality is affected by known issues including detection confidence flags and sensor outages, as documented by NASA.

Provenance

Source

NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via daily 5-minute swath collections.

Time Range

Coverage spans the operational lifetime of the MODIS/Terra sensor up to the product's decommissioning in 2023.

Freshness

Product decommissioned; final updates occurred prior to July 31, 2023.

Geography

Global coverage.