Improved Spatial Resolution of Fire Detection with MODIS Using the 2.1 μm Channel

Abstract

Since the first Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on board the Terra satellite started collecting data in February 2000, the detection of active fires was one of the initial applications. The algorithms used to detect active fires with MODIS that are used in production (Giglio et al., 2003a; Kaufman and Justice, 1998; Kaufman et al., 1998) are based on algorithms developed for Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) (Flasse and Ceccato, 1996; Giglio et al., 1999; Giglio et al., 2003b; Giglio et al., 2000; Justice et al., 1996; Lee and Tag, 1990; Li et al., 2000) that exploit the difference in spectral response of a hot target in the middle (MIR) and thermal (TIR) infrared.

The MODIS channels typically used for this task, out of the 36 channels MODIS provides, are the 3.7 μm channel, which is available as a high gain channel (21) and low gain channel (22) to cover the MIR and the 11 μm channel (31) in the TIR range. Both these channels have a native spatial resolution of 1 km.

In this work, we will give an overview of the possibilities in regards to improving the spatial resolution of fire detection from MODIS data by utilizing the 2.1 μm channel (7), which is available at 500 m resolution. This channel has been mentioned in the literature (Chuvieco, 1999; Kaufman and Justice, 1998) as being potentially useful for the detection of fires, but its application has not been further investigated before.