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This blog explains the considerations when using geostationary active fire data, and shows you how to use the SUB-DAILY data filtering option within the ADVANCED mode of the FIRMS viewer to help track fire progression throughout the day. These steps can also be used for the polar-orbiting satellites.

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN USING GEOSTATIONARY ACTIVE FIRE DATA

Geostationary active fire data are viewable in NASA’s Fire information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). These data are ingested from multiple sources including GOES (NOAA), Meteosat (EUMETSAT) and Himawari (JAXA). Geostationary satellite sensors view the same area of the Earth’s surface at all times and, therefore, many observations are available throughout the day. Polar-orbiting sensors, such as MODIS, VIIRS, and Landsat OLI, on the other hand, view the same area of Earth’s surface less frequently. For example, MODIS and VIIRS generally view the same area of Earth’s surface twice daily; Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 each view the same area of the Earth’s surface every 16 days at the mid latitudes. Towards the poles, polar-orbiting satellites, such as MODIS and VIIRS, view the same area more than twice daily, and up to six times a day, due to the convergence that occurs towards the poles.

The use of geostationary satellite sensors to generate active fire detections, and the development of associated algorithms, is not considered as reliable as those from polar-orbiting satellite sensors such as MODIS and VIIRS. Additionally, geostationary satellite pixels have a coarse spatial resolution. The spatial resolution directly below the satellite (known as the “sub-satellite point”) is 2km for GOES ABI and Himawari AHI, and 3km for Meteosat SEVIRI. The spatial resolution of the pixel (i.e., the pixel size) also systematically grows away from the sub-satellite point towards the edge of the disk. Therefore, the active fire data layers from geostationary satellites viewable in FIRMS should be used with caution. These layers are labeled a beta product as refinement of the algorithms is ongoing, and they are only viewable in the ADVANCED MODE of FIRMS Global and FIRMS US/Canada.

As geostationary satellite sensors view the same area of Earth’s surface at all times and provide repeated observations on a sub-hourly basis, active fire data from geostationary satellites can help track fire progression throughout the day. This can be useful to narrow down the ignition time of a wildfire event, to detect fires not detectable at longer observation intervals, and to track fires that advance quickly in a relatively short period of time.

HOW TO USE THE SUB-DAILY OPTION

The steps below use an example from the Smokehouse Creek Fire in March 2024 in Texas, USA .

• Open the FIRMS US/Canada interactive Fire Map
• Access the ADVANCED MODE by selecting the three horizontal lines in the main menu on the right and selecting ADVANCED MODE
• Use the calendar feature of the TIMELINE to set the date to February 26 2024 (1 DAY)
• Open the LOCATION TOOL and type Stinnett into the Find Location option; select Stinnett, TX, USA. 
• Expand the GEOSTATIONARY accordion in Fires / Hotspots section of the FIRMS legend (click the ‘+’ icon to the right of GEOSTATIONARY)
• Deselect all of the active fire layers under the POLAR ORBITING accordion.
• Select the Filtered Geostationary (provisional) layer  (click the ‘i’ Info for information about each of the products listed); this layer includes the combined active fire detections from GOES-16 and GOES-18 for the entire day. Note: GOES-16 is the eastern satellite positioned at 75 degrees west longitude and GOES-18 is the western satellite positioned at 135 degrees west longitude.
• To track the progression of a fire throughout the day, FIRMS includes capabilities to filter data using the SUB-DAILY tool. 
• On the main menu, toggle on SUB-DAILY (above the calendar icon); note the TIMELINE at the bottom of the map has changed to hours within a given day instead of days. 
• Use the clock icon in the main menu to set the time to 22:00 (the SUB-DAILY menu displays the time in UTC; this is 16:00 CST). Note that 04:00 HH:MM appears below the clock icon in blue, this shows all active fires for the previous four hours and is the default time span. Change this to 06:00 HH:MM. Now you are viewing all the filtered geostationary active fire detections for the Smokehouse Creek Fire on 26th February between 16:00-22:00 UTC or 11:00-16:00 CST.
• Note: You can view all the active fire detections within the last 10 minutes (00:10), every 10 minutes up to 1 hour (01:00), and within the last two (02:00), three (03:00) four (04:00), six (06:00), eight (08:00), ten (10:00), twelve (12:00), 18 (18:00), and 24 (24:00) hours (You can also dynamically change the time by sliding the bar along in the TIMELINE at the bottom of the map viewer)

• We would like to investigate when the wildfire was initially detected by the geostationary satellites. Toggle on Time Based under the Fires/Hotspots table of contents. This displays the active fire detections based on Time since detection. Most of these active fire detections (shown in deep red) occurred <1 HOUR earlier than 22:00 UTC (16:00 CST), but some detections (shown in bright red) occurred between 1-3 HOURS earlier than 22:00 (between 19:00-21:00 UTC (13:00-15:00 CST)). One active fire detection (shown in orange) occurred 3-6 HOURs earlier than 22:00 UTC (between 16:00-19:00 UTC (10:00-13:00 CST)).

• When you click on an individual active fire detection, an attribute pop up appears that displays the acquisition time (ACQUIRE_TIME) of the detection (the attribute specifications default to Local Time). Click on the active fire detection that occurred 3-6 HOURS Time since detection (the orange pixel), and select the UTC option to match the UTC time displayed in the menu on the right).
• The active fire detection occurred at 19:00 UTC (13:00 CST). Change the time to 20:00 UTC and set the time interval to 02:00. This will display all the active fire detections that occurred between 18:00-20:00 UTC (12:00-14:00 CST). Several additional active fire detections were observed during this time period.
• Tighten the time span to help identify how the wildfire progressed by changing the time interval to 02:00, several of the active fire detections persist. Incrementally tighten down the time span to further examine the wildfire progression by sequentially selecting 01:00, 00:50, 00:40, 00:30, 00:20, and finally 00:10. Several active fire detections are still present at 00:10 (between 19:50-20:00 UTC (13:50-14:00 CST). Therefore, while the initial active fire detection was observed around 19:00 UTC (13:00 CST), the wildfire expanded rapidly between 19:50-20:00 UTC (13:50-14:00 CST). 
• Click on some of these active fire detections to access the attribute pop up and note the acquisition time (ACQUIRE_TIME) of these detections
• Change the time to 23:50 UTC (17:30 CST), change the time interval to 00:10 HH:MM, and use the +10 mins option to reach back in 10 minute increments; visually interpret how the Smokehouse Creek wildfire expanded during the afternoon of 26th February; between the initial active fire detection at 19:00 UTC (13:00 CST) to 23:50 UTC (17:50 CST). This figure includes snapshots from different time intervals  

The above example highlights how the geostationary active fire data, which are acquired at a finer temporal resolution, can be used to more tightly identify, for example, a wildfire fire ignition time.

Recent wildfires in Jasper, Alberta, Canada highlighted the impact of cloud on active fire detections. Active fire detections were captured by MODIS and VIIRS on 07/23/24, and to the south/southeast of Jasper on the daytime observations between 12:30PM and 3:00PM PDT on 07/24/24. However, no additional detections were captured for several consecutive days following these detections. FIRMS received multiple questions from users about the wildfire in Jasper and, therefore, this blog explains the reasons for the limited active fire detections during this period.  

FIRMS provides active fire detections from both polar orbiting satellites and geostationary satellites. The polar orbiting satellites each typically collect two observations per day over Jasper, Alberta, based on the latitude of Jasper – once during the day and again about 12 hours later in the night.  As mentioned above, on 07/24/24 there was some limited fire activity detected by MODIS and VIIRS further south/southeast of Jasper captured on the daytime observations between 1:30PM and 4:00PM MDT.  However, if users view the MODIS and VIIRS imagery that were acquired on 07/24/24 (the imagery can be loaded by selecting the VIIRS and MODIS Corrected Reflectance imagery within the Dynamic Imagery dropdown), they will notice that the Jasper area was under heavy cloud cover.  Unfortunately, the satellite sensors cannot discern fire activity under heavy clouds or smoke cover and, therefore, under these conditions there will be very limited active fire detection. Thick cloud continued to persist for several days and continued to impact the active fire detections. The images below, acquired on 07/25/24, 07/26/24, and 07/28/24 show thick cloud over the area: 

07/25/24

07/26/24

07/28/24

FIRMS also provides active fire detections from geostationary satellites. The GOES geostationary satellites (GOES-16 and GOES-18) that provide coverage over this area, conduct observations at a higher temporal frequency (multiple times per hour), but at a coarser spatial resolution (2km). However, if there is heavy cloud cover or thick smoke, these satellites also cannot detect fire activity. Users can explore the GOES West Geocolor imagery over the area of Jasper to assess the cloud cover (the FIRMS interface needs to be toggled to ADVANCED mode to access these imagery). The following FIRMS FAQs also provide additional information on situations when active fires may not be detected - https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/faq/firms-faq#ed-not-detected and https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/faq/firms-faq#ed-modis-fire-size.

FIRMS users routinely leverage active fire detection data derived from MODIS and VIIRS. These sensors are onboard polar-orbiting satellites and provide a “snapshot” of fire activity at the time of satellite overpass for a given geographic area. Polar-orbiting observations by each individual MODIS and VIIRS sensor are conducted once to twice daily in the equatorial region of the globe and as many as eight times daily in the very high latitudes. What if you want multiple observations and updates on detected fire activity every hour? Geostationary satellites sensors can meet that need.

Unlike polar-orbiting satellite sensors, geostationary satellites sensors stay at a fixed point above the equator and follow the Earth’s daily rotation on its axis. Their orbits are 45-50 times higher than MODIS, VIIRS and Landsat sensors which operate in an orbit about 700 to 800 km above the Earth’s surface. These characteristics allow geostationary satellite sensors to move with the Earth’s rotation and persistently observe a very large portion of the Earth’s surface centered on their location.

GOES 16 (GOES East) coverage spans approximately 160^o in both longitudinal and latitudinal directions.

Several geostationary platforms and sensors are designed to support meteorological observations and have spectral bands that span the visible, near infrared, and thermal infrared. These capabilities also enable them to support the detection and monitoring of fire activity. Additionally, geostationary sensors provide outstanding temporal resolution acquiring imagery for their entire field of view at 10-15 minute intervals or better. This enables geostationary sensors to potentially detect more fire events and capture their growth and change, particularly in between fire detection observations conducted by sensors on polar-orbiting platforms. However, geostationary sensors have a much coarser spatial resolution than polar-orbiting sensors and can be less sensitive to detecting relatively smaller fires.

Active fire detection data from five geostationary sensors are available in FIRMS and collectively provide global coverage. Two geostationary satellites, GOES-16 and GOES-18, are operated by NOAA and provide coverage for the western hemisphere. The other three satellites, Himawari-8, Meteosat 9 and Meteosat 11, are operated by JAXA and EUMETSAT and provide coverage for the eastern hemisphere and a substantial portion of the western hemisphere. Overlapping coverage is also provided by adjacent sensor fields of view. General information about the geostationary satellites used in FIRMS and their associated sensors, fire detection algorithms and derivative product information are summarized below.

Spatial coverage of geostationary satellites used in FIRMS (Ceamanos et al., 2021).

Summary of geostationary satellites, sensors, algorithms and products used for active fire detection in FIRMS.

Here are two important considerations when using active fire detection data from geostationary satellites:  1) The coarse spatial resolution of geostationary satellites should be taken into consideration; the spatial resolution sub-nadir (i.e. directly below the satellite) is between 2-3Km for the different geostationary satellites (compared to 1Km, 375m, and 30m for MODIS, VIIRS, and Landsat respectively). An active fire could be located anywhere within that 2-3Km pixel. 2), Distortion in the pixel size of geostationary satellites increases towards the poles. This change in pixel size for the GOES-16 geostationary satellite is shown in the figure below. (To view the pixel sizes for the other geostationary satellites visit the FIRMS FAQ What is the spatial resolution of the geostationary satellite observations?)

Credit: Cullingworth and Mueller, 2021; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13050878

Due to technical and environmental factors, active fire detection outputs from the current generation of geostationary algorithms can be prone to significant errors of commission and/or omission. Consequently, FIRMS considers all geostationary data as provisional or beta, and filters detections to display only those at the higher levels of detection confidence for each product. The filtered geostationary active fire detection data layers from each sensor/algorithm are available under the GEOSTATIONARY section of the Fire / Hotspots group in the FIRMS legend. They are accessible with the Advanced Mode selected. Each geostationary active fire detection layer is named by the source satellite and providing agency (see each layer’s information summary for more details). Additionally, for user convenience, the outputs for GOES FDC-HSC, Meteosat FRP-PIXEL and Himawari FRP-PIXEL algorithms are grouped into a single layer called Filtered Geostationary (provisional).

GOES ABI and Himawari AHI active fire detection data at 2km resolution are observed every 10 minutes throughout a 24-hour period while Meteosat SEVIRI active fire detection data at 3km resolution are observed every 15 minutes. This global harmonized, multi-sensor data stream is enabled by an automated framework developed by the University of Maryland under the auspices of the NASA Applied Sciences Program. All the sources of geostationary active fire detection data are available in FIRMS approximately 30 minutes or less post-observation. Users are advised to note that two active fire detection data products from GOES ABI imagery and derived from separate algorithms are provided in FIRMS.

Geostationary active fire detection layers in FIRMS

The current versions of geostationary active fire detection algorithms are undergoing additional development, refinement, and tuning. FIRMS will provide outputs based on new or updated algorithms when they are introduced into operational production by the source agencies. Stay tuned for additional FIRMS blog entries with more information on the algorithms, products and characteristics for geostationary active fire detection data and caveats users should consider when utilizing these data in FIRMS.

This blog post was created by Colin Seftor, NASA GSFC

After experiencing the worst fire season on record last year and continuing to face extreme drought conditions in British Columbia, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories, Canada is bracing for what may be another year of severe fires.  Two pyrocumulonimbus (PyroCbs) have already been identified around Fort Nelson (one on 11 May and one on 13 May), and the continuing intensity and scale of the fires in the area have caused the evacuation of thousands of people. 

PyroCbs are “fire thunderstorms” that can lift large plumes of smoke high up into the air, often reaching the stratosphere.  The plumes can then travel long distances, affecting air quality in areas thousands of kilometers from their sources.   The location and movement of these smoke plumes are monitored using measurements from satellite instruments such as the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) aboard the NASA/NOAA Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20  and NOAA-21 satellites.  The OMPS instruments, while primarily designed to determine the amount of atmospheric ozone, can also be used to detect atmospheric aerosols such as volcanic ash, dust, and smoke.  One particular OMPS product, the Aerosol Index (AI), is extremely useful for monitoring and tracking the movement of such aerosols because it can detect them over any type of land surface (including ice) and over clouds.

In the figure below, AI measurements from the Suomi-NPP OMPS instrument are shown overlaid on Suomi-NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) true-color imagery for May 11-15.  Higher AI values (shown in yellow) represent higher density (and altitude) smoke plumes. The images acquired on May 11 and 12 show smoke being transported to northern parts of the United States, significantly impacting air quality in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where air quality alerts were issued.  Large sections of eastern Canada were also heavily impacted.

Figure 1: S-NPP OMPS AI values overlaid on true-color imagery from S-NPP VIIRS for May 11-13.  Smoke from fires burning in western Canada, particularly from two pyroCbs (one on May 11 and one on May 13) can be seen to affect large areas over Canada and the northern US.

Because of its usefulness in both detecting and monitoring smoke from fires, particularly large scale fire events and pyroCbs, the S-NPP OMPS AI is now included as an overlay in NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) application, which provides near real-time active fire/hotspot locations using satellite-derived fire information to natural resource managers.  An example for May 11 is provided in the image and link below:

Figure 2: Screenshot of FIRMS US/Canada showing OMPS AI overlain on the Corrected Reflectance Imagery from S-NPP for May 11,2024. Active fire/hotspots are ovelain as red dots. See: NASA FIRMS US/Canada

Besides the S-NPP OMPS Aerosol Index, the AI measurements from the OMPS instruments on both the NOAA-20 (N-20) and NOAA-21 (N-21) satellites will be implemented in FIRMS later this year.  Both N-20 and N-21 AI measurements have the distinct advantage of being taken at a higher spatial resolution. The figure below shows the detail provided by the N-21 AI measurements for May 13 (right) when compared to the S-NPP AI (left).

Figure 3: Comparison of AI measurements from S-NPP (left) and NOAA-21 (right) OMPS instruments. AI products generated from N-21 have a higher spatial resolution (10km x 10km in the nadir direction - looking straight down from the spacecraft), which is 25 times more resolute than the (50km x 50km resolution) S-NPP AI products, providing a much greater level of detail for the smoke plumes.

NASA’s Fire information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) has recently introduced access to VIIRS active fire detection data from NOAA-21. Although NOAA-21 is intended to be the eventual replacement for S-NPP, this addition provides active fire detection data that complements the data already provided by the VIIRS instruments onboard S-NPP and NOAA-20. S-NPP currently has an anticipated end of life date of late 2026. The NOAA-21 active fire detection data are available in each of the new map modes in the FIRMS map viewer: BASIC MODE, ADVANCED MODE, BURNED AREA MODE, US/CANADA MODE and SMOKE/AEROSOL MODE.

The three currently available VIIRS instruments provide observations within approximately one hour of each another.  The orbit tracks and overpass times layers in the FIRMS map viewer can be used to ascertain the time of anticipated observation for each instrument at a given location. Additionally, the time of detection for the observed fire activity are available by clicking on the fire detection locations in the FIRMS map viewer. For example, in the map below, VIIRS active fire detection data are simultaneously displayed with customized colors and partial transparency to allow the overlapping detections from different the different VIIRS observation times to be easily discerned (please see the How to Customize the Fires Displayed in FIRMS blog post for directions on how to set user-defined colors for fire detection data).  VIIRS active fire detections by S-NPP (yellow) are detected at 17:53 UTC, NOAA-20 (orange) at 18:45 UTC and NOAA-21 (white) at 19:06 UTC. The new NOAA-21 VIIRS active fire detection data are also available from FIRMS as downloadable active fire data in CSV, Esri Shapefile and KMZ formats, OGC compliant web map services and web feature services, and archived data downloads. Users will soon be able to visualize true color and false color composite NOAA-21 VIIRS imagery in the FIRMS map viewer and generate custom subsets using WorldView Snapshots.

At the end of 2023, NASA’s Fire information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) released an expanded User Interface (UI) for both FIRMS Global and FIRMS US/Canada. The objectives of the expanded UI are to: 

• Support an increasingly diverse set of users
• Increase visibility/access to other FIRMS products/services
• Maintain distinctive UIs for user levels, use cases & prototype products
• Enhance ability to filter and visualize data

The expanded UI includes multiple modes, all accessible within the Main Menu. These include:

• BASIC MODE: a concise interface containing essential layers to quickly identify and visualize current/recent fire activity and factors affecting satellite fire detection.
• ADVANCED MODE: designed for those already versed in FIRMS, the ADVANCED MODE provides access to all the satellite imagery (including active fire data from geostationary satellites), other satellite data products and ancillary geospatial data available through FIRMS in order to visualize, explore and analyze for current and past fire activity.
• BURNED AREA: provides satellite imagery and other derived satellite data products to detect, visualize, explore and analyze burned area.
• US/CANADA: provides satellite imagery, and other satellite data products to visualize, explore and analyze current and past fire activity in the United States and Canada. Additional geospatial data available through FIRMS US/Canada inform and support strategic wildland fire management users.
• SMOKE/AEROSOLS: provides satellite products useful for highlighting the extent of wildfire smoke, as well as tracking the transport of smoke.
• EXPERIMENTAL (in progress): will provide new and/or prototype satellite data products for assessment and evaluation by the user community.
• FIRE ALERTS: for users to sign up and receive email alerts about detected fire activity through FIRMS.
• DOWNLOADS: provides users with access to archived data for review and download.

A Youtube video is available here which includes an overview of the Expanded UI, along with multiple demonstrations.

For more information on FIRMS see our Additional Resources Page.

With most sources of satellite remote sensing data, spatial resolution and temporal resolution are inversely related. In other words, as spatial resolution increases, temporal resolution decreases and vice versa. For example, the VIIRS sensor onboard S-NPP and NOAA-20 has a swath width of 3,000 kilometers and each instrument images the entire surface of the Earth at least once daily. The swath width of MODIS onboard Terra and Aqua is narrower at 2,330 km providing slightly less than daily global coverage. However, the finest spatial resolution of active fire detection data that can be gleaned from VIIRS and MODIS at 375 meters and 1 kilometer, respectively, are considered coarse resolution data by most definitions.

In comparison to VIIRS and MODIS, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard both Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 provides active fire detections at relatively finer spatial resolution (30 meters) (please see the related NASA FIRMS blog entry that introduces the Landsat active fire product). Unlike VIIRS and MODIS, OLI has a much narrower swath width of 185 kilometers. The swath of OLI is less than 1/10^th the width of a MODIS swath and provides much lower temporal resolution/sampling by comparison (Fig 1).

Figure 1 - Example of a 185 km Landsat 9 OLI swath (red) compared to a 2,330 km Terra MODIS swath (orange). Terra MODIS can easily image the entire continental US daily in three consecutive orbits. However, Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 OLI each require multiple orbits over 16 days to provide the same coverage.

How do these characteristics affect the daily availability of active fire data?

The relatively large swath widths of VIIRS and MODIS sensors provide comprehensive satellite observations and derived active fire detection data for the entire globe on a daily basis. Additionally, both sensors provide multiple observations daily within a relatively short period of time where consecutive swaths may overlap, more so at higher latitudes (Fig 2).

Figure 2 - Example of MODIS and VIIRS orbit tracks showing overlap between tracks, especially at higher latitudes.

Conversely, each Landsat OLI sensor requires 16 days to completely image the surface of the Earth. So, OLI cannot fully image large geographic areas in one day, such as the continental United States, and can only provide partial coverage. However, since the orbits of the two Landsat satellites are 8 days out of phase, the combined temporal resolution of the two OLI sensors enables complete coverage once every 8 days (Fig 3).

Figure 3 – The top graphic provides an example of the swath coverage for the continental US by OLI onboard Landsat 8 (orange) and Landsat 9 (red) on July 13, 2022. Orbits for each satellite move to the east and west daily and complete a full cycle of coverage every 16 days. The bottom graphic displays the HLS imagery product in FIRMS for July 13, 2022, which contains the acquired Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 imagery over land. Areas along each swath that exceed the predetermined cloud cover threshold are excluded from HLS product in FIRMS. The combined daily coverage of OLI on both Landsat satellites can image the entire continental US, and the globe, every 8 days.

When viewing daily active fire detection data in FIRMS, users should be aware of the high temporal resolution characteristics of VIIRS and MODIS versus Landsat. In Figure 4, active fires detected by Terra MODIS and Landsat on September 10, 2022, for the Pacific Northwest are provided. Landsat active fire detection data, displayed as yellow points, is only available within the 185-kilometer OLI swath. However, MODIS active fire detection data, displayed as red points, is available for the entire region within and outside of the OLI swath. Consequently, updates to the finer resolution Landsat active fire detection data for the entire Earth cannot be provided daily.

Figure 4 - Active fires detected in the Pacific Northwest on September 10, 2022. 1 kilometer MODIS active fire detections (red) are available for the entire region while 30-meter Landsat 9 active fire detections (yellow) are limited to the 185-kilometer swath (WRS-2 Path 42) acquired on this date.

This blog shows you how to:

• change the colors of the fires/thermal anomalies
• change the fire pixel size
• show only day or night detections
• color code fires by Fire Radiative Power (FRP), Confidence or Time Since Detection

CHANGE FIRE COLOR BY INSTRUMENT

The default color for the MODIS and VIIRS thermal anomalies is red. There are times when it is useful to be able to distinguish between instruments (MODIS/VIIRS) or day/night detections. To do this Select ADVANCED MODE in the Layer List on the right of the map (see image below) 

Select the "+" icon next to the fire detections you want to change.

Select the drop down arrow to the right of the color and a color wheel will appear. Select a color and press apply.

This step can be repeated for other fire detection categories.

CHANGE FIRE PIXEL SIZE

The fire pixel size defaults to the optimal display for the zoom level. When zoomed into the highest zoom levels, MODIS pixels maintain a size of approximately 1km and VIIRS approximately 375m

To change the pixel size, make sure ADVANCED MODE is selected (as shown above). Click the "+" icon and then click the drop down arrow next to the word "Auto"

Adjust the pixel size from the drop down list  

SHOW ONLY DAY / NIGHT FIRES

By default, the map shows both Day time and night time fires, to view only day time fires, may sure ADVANCED MODE is selected (as shown above). Click the "+" icon then click on "Night" to deselect it and it is greyed out. To view only nighttime fires, click on "Night" to turn both back on and then click on "Day" so it is greyed out. 

VIEW FIRES BY FRP, CONFIDENCE or TIME SINCE DETECTION

To view fires using Fire Radiative Power (FRP), Confidence or Time Since Detection, select "ADVANCED MODE" in the Layer List, then select the drop down arrow next to the word "Fires" for the fire detections you want to change.

Time Since Detection shows the fires < 1, 1-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-24, and >24 Hours since the fires were detected by the satellite. Enable this by selecting "Time Based" in either Basic or Advanced Mode.

FIRMS fire map users have always had the opportunity to compile a map view using desired layers and then capture a screenshot and save it as a JPG, PNG or GIF file to use or share. Users now have the option of capturing a FIRMS map view as a GeoTIFF image file. The GeoTIFF format includes spatial (georeferencing) information embedded in the .tif file so it can be integrated and viewed with other geospatial data. The GeoTIFF standard is in the public domain and can be readily imported and displayed in many GIS applications. 

To create a GeoTIFF, click on the "screenshot" icon from the lower right of the FIRMS user interface and select "GeoTIFF" from the dropdown option in the screenshot window.

In collaboration with NASA's IMPACT project, dynamic false color imagery is now available through FIRMS to help better delineate burned areas. 

A screenshot from FIRMS US/Canada displaying the Sentinel-2 Adjusted Reflectance Harmonized Landsat Sentinel (HLS) using bands 12-8a-4. It shows the Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico, USA as captured on 3 May 2022. In this image, the burned areas appear in brick red and are overlain with active fire pixels from MODIS and VIIRS. (Link to view in FIRMS)

FIRMS has recently integrated an additional Harmonized Landsat/Sentinel-2 (HLS) Imagery product. The Reflectance (Bands 7-5-4) layer from Landsat 8/OLI  and (Bands 12, 8a, 4) from Sentinel 2A and 2B are false color composite (FCC) images that allow us to visualize wavelengths that the human eye cannot see (i.e. short wave infrared and near infrared). Burned areas appear almost brick red making it easier to see fire affected areas and water is very dark, almost black, which makes it much easier to see lakes or flooded lands. 

Unlike other satellite imagery layers in FIRMS, which are provided through NASA GIBS, the beta version HLS False Color Composite Imagery (Bands 7-5-4 for Landsat and Bands 12, 8a, 4 for Sentinel 2A and 2B), are provided dynamically through the NASA  Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT), as such it may take slightly longer to display than the HLS True Color imagery through GIBS. HLS imagery is currently available approximately 2 -4 days after acquisition. 

Steps to view the HLS FCC layers:

The HLS layers are only available in Advanced Mode (basic mode has reduced functionality to minimize the complexity of the interface). 
•    Go to https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/map/ or https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/
•    Toggle the “Advanced Mode” button in the upper right .
•    Toggle the “Historical” button in the upper right.
•    The HLS Landsat and Sentinel 2 imagery are in the “Harmonized Landsat/Sentinel-2” grouping in the table of contents.
•    Use the tools/prompts to access and view the imagery.
•    Toggle on the True Color imagery first to get a good idea of where the FCC data can be expected on a given day.

Use the screenshot tool to create a GeoTIFF of the image to enable the image to be imported in to a GIS.

Some things to note:
•    The HLS imagery is not near real-time data.  It is currently available about 2 -4 days after acquisition.
•    The reach back on this service goes back to March 15, 2022.
•    As the FCC is dynamically generated, it may take slightly longer to display than the True Color imagery through GIBS. We are monitoring the performance of the HLS FCC imagery and welcome feedback.
•    Zoom scale to display the false color composite data is currently set to 11 through 14, but true color can be viewed at smaller scales.  The zoom level is indicated at the very end of the URL (e.g., 11z).
•    Orbit tracks for Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2A and 2B are available as layers in the table of contents.  
•    Landsat 9 data is anticipated to be incorporated into the HLS product in late April.  At that time, or soon thereafter, it will be part of the HLS service in FIRMS.

Find out more about HLS