DEMO 07 · GLOBAL FIRE WATCH

MODIS + VIIRS Hot Spots

Compare simulated MODIS and VIIRS fire detections, then explore why scientists combine different satellite instruments.

Spacey's briefing

MODIS and VIIRS can both detect active fires, but their sensor characteristics and pixel sizes differ. A harmonized system tries to make multi-sensor records easier to compare without pretending the instruments are identical.

Need to move on? You can skip Chapter 7, but Spacey will remember that you skipped it.

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Detect hot spotsThermal observations help identify active fires from orbit.

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Different sensorsDifferent instruments can have different spatial resolution and detection abilities.

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Harmonize carefullyCombining records requires calibration, metadata and consistent comparison rules.

WATCH & UNDERSTAND

Discover Enhanced Wildfire System Capabilities with NASA’s FIRMS

NASA FIRMS provides near-real-time fire information from multiple satellites. This NASA Earthdata video tours FIRMS and explains how active-fire detections are used.

Video source: NASA Earthdata on YouTube. It plays inside this page when internet access is available.