SAFARI 2000 AVHRR Fire and Vegetation Imagery for Southern Africa

Southern African satellite data from the SAFARI 2000 campaign includes four main AVHRR products: 1.5 km daily and 15-day composites for six core sites, and 1.5 km and 6 km 15-day composites for the broader region. The Global Inventory Mapping and Modeling (GIMMS) group at NASA/GSFC provided these datasets, which feature primary data layers for fire pixel counts and maximum NDVI, along with associated variables like land surface temperature and reflectance. Temporal coverage spans from 1998 to 2000 for composite products, with daily extracts available for the year 2000.

Use Cases

• Analyzing fire occurrence and frequency using the fire pixel count and fire mask composite layers.
• Monitoring vegetation health and phenology over time using the maximum NDVI data layer.
• Modeling land surface energy balance by incorporating brightness temperature and land surface temperature variables.
• Correcting for satellite viewing geometry in analyses using solar zenith angle, view zenith angle, and relative azimuth angle data.
• Mapping regional surface reflectance patterns for the southern African region during key seasonal periods.

Strengths

• Provides data at multiple spatial resolutions (1.5 km and 6 km) and temporal frequencies (daily and 15-day composites).
• Covers a multi-year time range from 1998 to 2000, allowing for seasonal and inter-annual analysis.
• Includes six specific core site extracts (Mongu, Etosha, Kasungu, Maun, Skukuza, Tshane) for detailed local study.

Limitations

• Row and column counts are unknown; data is stored in binary image files with separate metadata.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2000-10-31 and 2026-03 12).
• Fire product data is not included in the 1.5 km regional dataset, limiting fire analysis at that scale.

Provenance

Source

Global Inventory Mapping and Modeling (GIMMS) group at NASA/GSFC.

Collection Method

Remotely sensed satellite data products from AVHRR, processed into site extracts and regional composites.

Time Range

1998-2000

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:50:33.252851

Geography

Southern African region, with specific core sites in Mongu, Etosha, Kasungu, Maun, Skukuza, and Tshane.