Terra MODIS 8-Day Global Fire and Thermal Anomaly Grid

MODIS/Terra Thermal Anomalies and Fire 8-Day L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V006 provides global fire detection data at 1-kilometer spatial resolution. The product, generated by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite, aggregates the maximum fire pixel class values over eight-day periods. This version (V006) was decommissioned on July 31, 2023, with users directed to the updated V6.1 product.

Use Cases

• Mapping global fire occurrence and intensity using the 8-day composite fire mask layer.
• Assessing detection confidence for thermal anomalies by analyzing the pixel quality indicators (QA) layer.
• Studying seasonal and interannual fire patterns by analyzing the time-series of maximum fire pixel values.
• Validating other fire detection products by cross-referencing the MODIS-derived fire mask and its associated quality flags.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at a consistent 1-kilometer resolution.
• Provides an 8-day temporal composite, reducing data volume for trend analysis.
• Includes specific Science Dataset (SDS) layers for fire mask and pixel quality indicators.

Limitations

• The V006 product is decommissioned, indicating it is not the current operational version.
• Known issues exist, including detection confidence flags and sensor outage periods, as documented by the MODIS Land team.
• Spatial resolution of 1km may miss smaller fires or provide coarse boundary information.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing, with data processed into a Level 3 gridded composite product.

Time Range

Coverage spans the Terra MODIS mission lifetime up to the product's decommissioning.

Freshness

Product generation ceased (decommissioned) on July 31, 2023.

Geography

Global.