Algorithm for detection of active fire zones using NOAA AVHRR data

Forest fires in tropical countries have become one of the important sources of Green House Gases and cause damage to the forest ecosystems. Informatio n relating to the extent and location of active fire zones needs immediate attention to facilitate effective management and mitigation of forest fires . The spectral intervals that are most suitable for the detection of forest fires are 3.5-4.2 and 4.4-5.0 mu m. The maximum thermal emission of fires is localized using middle infrared and thermal infrared bands for automatic recognition of fire active zones. The algorithm considers the thresholds f or middle infrared on the basis of channel saturation to discriminate the f ire zones from background warm surface and thermal infrared (10.3-11.3 mu m ) to ensure it to be free from cloud and water bodies. Advanced Very High R esolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data of 1 km resolution have been taken and we apply a spatial technique using background information to dynamically defi ne thresholds appropriate for identifying fire pixels. The study suggests t hat satellite data provide a unique tool to detect and monitor active fire distribution. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.