Satellite monitoring of forest fires in Russia at federal and regional levels

This paper presents an overview of current satellite-based fire mapping activities at several institutions in Russia that provide operational fire monitoring at federal and regional levels. The current operational systems are based on data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) on the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) operational polar orbiting environmental satellite series. Detailed descriptions of the data acquisition and preprocessing systems, algorithms, and the suite of fire products are provided. Each institution has expertise in addressing a specific aspect of satellite-based fire mapping and monitoring. The methodologies described include proper georegistration of AVHRR data and elimination of false alarms while retaining a high active fire detection rate. Statistical and physical approaches are presented to account for, among other effects, reflection from bright surfaces and clouds, sun-glint, and atmospheric attenuation by smoke and haze. An approach for fire danger estimation is also presented. The fire mapping activities at the various institutions are being organized into a regional network within the international Global Observation of Forest and Landcover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) program. Concerted efforts will facilitate the implementation of processing systems for new and improved sensors, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the experimental NASA Earth Observing System Terra and Aqua satellites and the Visible/Infrared/ Imager/Radiometer Suite on the next generation National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). © Springer 2006.