VIIRS I-Band 375m Active Fire Product NRT: Near Real-Time Fire Detection

Global near real-time (NRT) satellite data provides active fire detection at a 375-meter nominal resolution from the NOAA-20 (JPSS-1) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). This improved spatial resolution offers greater sensitivity to smaller fires and more detailed mapping of large fire perimeters compared to coarser (≥1 km) products. The data is designed for fire management and scientific applications but provides detection information only, without sub-pixel fire characterization.

Use Cases

• Near real-time fire alert systems based on active fire detection data
• Mapping fire perimeters for large wildfire events based on 375m resolution data
• Supporting fire management decisions using frequently updated satellite observations
• Scientific analysis of fire dynamics and land surface thermal properties

Strengths

• Provides a 375-meter spatial resolution, which is finer than many other satellite fire products (≥1 km)
• Offers near real-time (NRT) data delivery suitable for operational fire management
• Available in multiple vector formats (TXT, SHP, KML, WMS) and through email alerts

Limitations

• Provides detection information only, with no sub-pixel fire characterization due to data saturation issues
• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names, row counts, and author details are unavailable
• Platforms disagree on the presence of a license, with some specifying 'other-license-specified' and others 'None'

Provenance

Source

LANCEMODIS / NASA Earthdata

Collection Method

Satellite observations from the NOAA-20 (JPSS-1) VIIRS instrument.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to nasa_earthdata and datagov.

Geography

Global