Fire Detection and Growth Monitoring a Multitemporal Technique on AVHRR Mid-Infrared and Thermal Channels Using

A technique has been developed to detect and map fire growth by using a multitemporal multispectral analysis of AVHRR images. The application of this technique allows fire growth nwnitoring. The technique is mainly based on comparison of brightness temperature differences and AVHRR Channels 3 and 4 for successive images. It provides a rapid evaluation of the area affected by the fire but suppresses the ambiguous thermal signal produced by nonvegetated terrain. It has been applied to a set of diurnal images acquired by the Granada University AVHRR reception system (luring a severe .fire outbreak in Spain (July 1994). The Andalusian Regional Govermneut Environnwntal Directorate provided the infi)rmation and boundaries of the fires which are used as "'ground truth" to validate the AVHRR-derived fires boundaries. Both the derived boundaries fi)r the burned area and the fire evolution agree closely with the information collected by field observers, with differences ranging from 9% to 20% in the total burnt area. The availability of 24-h field reports fi, r one of the fires provided an appropriate test for the continuous rrumitoring by means of rerru)te sensing technique. The study area, located in southeastern Spain, is characterized by a drTj nwditerranean climate, and the fires affected different ecosystenzs, from coniferous fi)rest to shrubland. This variety of land coverage makes diffiodt the application of other proposed techniques. ©Elsevier Science Inc., 1997