REMOTE SENSING METHODS FOR

FIRE DETECTION AND

BURNT AREA ESTIMATION

First International Central Asian Wild land Fire

Joint Conference and Consultation

N. Elbegjargal*, M. Erdenetuya (PhD)*, M. Odbayar*** NGIC project of MNE, ** ICC/NRSC of Mongolia

2 – 6 June 2008, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

n_elbegjargal@yahoo.com

www.icc.mn

OUTLINES:

First International Central Asian Wild land Fire

Joint Conference and Consultation

Historical dates of Remote sensing activities in Mongolia

Objectives of NGIC project and its component

Fire detection technologies

Active fire detection

Burnt area estimation

Fire frequency analysis

Fire statistical data analysis

Conclusions

1970.12.05

ESSA-8, NOAA-4-8

APT (analog)

manual (photo processing)

1987-11-25-

1995

Multispectral, Digital-> NOAA9, NOAA10, NOAA11

PDP-11/34, NOVA-4, 2PAAC -> IDRISI, PCI

1

2

Historical dates of NRSC:First Receiving antenna

Center for Satellite Data Receiving & Processing

Second Receiving antenna/Digital

Techniques: PC-QUORUM

Software: QTRACK, SPARK, VxEos, PCI, ENVI, ERDAS Imagine

Products: Natural Resources monitoring: Land cover classification, change

detection, pasture, vegetation, forest, surface water

Natural disaster monitoring: drought, desertification, snow, dzud,

forest and steppe fires, dust storms.

1995 – 2007:

NOAA series, SEASTAR3

May, November 2007 – recent :

Antenna: 2.4m – X-band TERRA/AQUA

MODIS, L-band HRPT, 3.0m – FY-2C

Satellites:

TERRA, AQUA, NOAA15, NOAA17, NO

AA18, FY-1D & FY-2C (GMS)

4

Historical dates of NRSC/NGIC:

NGIC project

Dutch Government funded and the Mongolian Ministry of

Nature and Environment implemented the program “National

Geoinformation center for Natural Resources Management

(NGIC)”commenced in December 2006 aims at macro level

environmental decision and policy making.

The project has 4 components.

To establish medium spatial and high temporal resolution Remote Sensing based Early Warning and Decision Support Systems to support Environmental Management in Mongolia

Component 3, NGIC project

MODIS receiver, Nov 2007

Satellite data: NOAA – KLM, NOAA18

Receiving station: established in 1988

renovated in 1995

Receiving Antenna: 1.2m diameter

Receiving Software: QTRACK

Pre-processing Software: SPARK (by NASA)

Output from SPARK: L0, L1B, L2, L3

Fire Detection Technology:L3 -> re-georeferencing in PCI

Band combination RGB: 3, 2, 1 in ENVI

• temperature interpretation

• visual interpretation of haze and smog

• location determining

• dynamic analyzing

• dimension estimating

• burnt area calculating

• mapping

• serving to all organizations

hard copy, website, soft copy via VSAT

Fire Detection/NOAA

1996

Satellite data: TERRA/MODIS, AQUA/MODIS

Receiving station: established in November 2007

Receiving Antenna: 2.4m diameter

Receiving Software: VxEos

Pre-processing Software: VxEos (by eOsphere, UK)

Outputs from raw: L0, L1B, L2, L3

Fire Detection Technology:L3 -> Re-georeferencing in MRT

MODIS/ Band combination RGB: 21, 1, 2 in ENVI/ERDAS

• temperature interpretation

• visual interpretation of haze and smog

• location determining

• dynamic analyzing

• dimension estimating

• burnt area calculating

• mapping

• serving to all organizations

hard copy, website,

soft copy via VSAT

Fire Detection/MODIS

2007

Forest and Steppe Fires

Active fires detection technology:

by NOAA satellites

RGB: 3,2,1

Composite image

Active fire: red

Smog: blue

Burnt area: dark red

ACTIVE FIRE SOURCE:CH3 > 45oC

CH1 (CH2) = 6 – 12

BURNT AREA:CH3 > 35 – 45oC

CH1(CH2) = 3 – 6

13-Apr-2008

Forest and Steppe Fires

Active fires detection technology:

by NOAA satellites

RGB: 3,2,1

Composite image

Active fire: red

Smog: blue

Burnt area: dark red

Night Time: 03:20

Russia

Dornod aimag

18-Apr-2008

Active fires detection technology:

by NOAA data

Forest and Steppe Fires

18-Apr-2008Day Time: 14:58

Russia

Dornod aimag

Active fires detection technology:

by NOAA data

Forest and Steppe Fires

NOAA 18 =1km

13-Apr-2008

Time: 04:34Size = 69x 25km

13-Apr-2008

Time: 04:45

Size = 64x22 km

MODIS/Terra = 250m

64 km

69 km

Russia

Russia

Russia

23-Apr-2008

Time: 05:45Hec = 67415

Russia

23-Apr-2008

Time: 05:17 Hec = 47387

Forest and Steppe Fires

Product of MODIS:

MOD14

Hot spot’s location

Active fires detection technology:

by MODIS data 18-May-2008

Day Time: 14:58

R = band21

G = band1

B 2 = band2

Composite image

Forest and Steppe Fires

Active fires detection technology:

by MODIS data

18-May-2008Day Time: 14:58

Russia

Burnt area by NOAA

Burnt area by NOAA

Burnt area by NOAA

Fire frequency from 1996 - 2000

58%26%

13%3% 0%

1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years

Fire frequency from 2001 - 2005

88%

0%12%

1 year 2 years 3 years

Burnt area frequency analysis

16% 3-5 years

12% 2-3 years

Forest and steppe fire frequency, 1996 - 2005

54%

0%3%6%

12%

25%

1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years 6 years

Burnt area frequency analysis

21 % of total burnt area – more than 3 years

Fire Statistics, 1963 – 2007Maximum number of fires:

1996 – 415 fires

Trend: slightly decreasing

Maximum burnt area:

1997 – 12’440’000 ha

Trend: increasing

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Number of Fire Occurrences 1963 - 2007

Number of Fires

Fire Occurrence Trend

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14,000

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Total Burned Area by Year 1963 - 2007

Total Burned Area

(Thousand Hectares) Fire Coverage Trend

MNE

NEMA and others

All aimags

Service by Forest and Steppe Fire Information

• by existing VSAT network of ICC

• by internet using Web sites

• by FTP

Web sites:

www.icc.mn

www.mne-ngic.mn

• by phone call

• by internet using Web sites

• by hard copy

• by phone call

• by internet using Web sites

• by hard copy

• Bulletin (IMH)

Conclusions

1. The active fire and burnt area mapping technologies

have been implementing and upgrading year by year and

servicing to the related ministries, agencies and other

organizations are being operationalized.

2. The use of MODIS satellite data will improve the

technologies for active fire detection and also the burnt

area accuracy.

Thank you for your attention!