Background

Until recently, natural resource managers have faced considerable challenges in obtaining timely satellite-derived information on vegetation fires that are burning within and around their management area. To be of most value, protected area managers require fire information to be delivered while fires are still burning, with minimal file sizes and in easy-to-use formats. FIRMS addresses these issues by delivering global near real-time fire information to users to support fire managers around the World.

FIRMS delivers active fires detected using the MODIS active fire locations processed by the MODIS Rapid Response System.

The active fire locations are processed by the MODIS Rapid Response System using the standard MODIS MOD14 Fire and Thermal Anomalies Product. Each active fire location represents the center of a 1 km pixel that is flagged by the algorithm as containing a fire within the pixel. In the near future FIRMS will also provide burned area data.

FIRMS is transitioning to FAO...

FIRMS will become part of the operational monitoring systems at the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) through the international GTOS GOFC/GOLD Fire program. At FAO, FIRMS will be housed in the Environmental Assessment and Management Unit (NRCE) and will complement their existing suite of projects that deliver near real time information to ongoing monitoring and emergency projects, to other UN organizations as well as providing information to the general public.