Overview Global Observation of Forest Cover GOFC: Fire

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Overview Global Observation of Forest Cover
(GOFC) Fire
Chris Justice GOFC - Fire Implementation Team
Leader University of Maryland
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What is GOFC?

• An ambitious, multifaceted international strategy
  to bring the earths forests under continuous
  observation.
• A vision to share data, information and
  knowledge, leading to informed action
• A coordinated program of activities to ensure
  that earth observation and other data are used
  effectively for global monitoring of terrestrial
  resources and the study of global change
• A network of participants implementing
  coordinated demonstration and operational
  projects
• An international organization of space agencies
  and end users working together
• A long term process of building an improved match
  between data products and user needs
• All of the above

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Background to GOFC

• Developed originally under the Committee on Earth
  Observation Satellites (CEOS) initially as a
  pilot to test the concept of an Integrated Global
  Observing System
• IGOS goals
• To improve use of Earth Observation data to
  address major problems of global concern
• To improve coordination of national programs
• To improve co-operation between providers and
  users of Earth Observation data for regional and
  global applications.
• Has become one of the Panels of the Global
  Terrestrial Observing System GTOS (FAO GTOS
  Secretariat)
• Helping to address the Carbon Theme of the IGOS
  Partners

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Who are the IGOS Partners?

• Sponsors of the Global Observing Systems
• (IOC of UNESCO, FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, WMO, ICSU)
• Global Observing Systems
• (GCOS, GOOS, GTOS)
• Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
• International Geosphere - Biosphere Programme
  (IGBP)
• World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
• International Group of Funding Agencies (IGFA)

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The Organization of GOFC
Implementation Teams, Activities and Projects
Fire Monitoring and Mapping.. Cover
Characteristics and Changes.. Biophysical
Parameters
Scientific and Technology Board
Regional Activities and Networks
Collaborations e.g. WGISS and WGCV
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GOFC Regional Networks

• Provide guidance on regional user needs and
  capabilities
• Utilizing existing science networks
• GOFC interface to national mapping and monitoring
  activities
• Foster lateral transfer of technology and
  experience between countries and regions
• Intended to provide transition to operational
  continuity
• Current network initiatives
• South East Asia - SEARIN
• Central Africa - OSFAC
• Southern Africa Miombo
• Boreal (initial meetings W. Russia/Fennoscandia,
  Far East)
• Asia and South America (under discussion)

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GOFC Fire rationale

• Extreme fire events are raising public awareness
  as to the significance of fire monitoring
  and management
• Fires are an important resource management issue
  and an important aspect of global change research
• Fires are a hazard - a topic of the IGOS-P
  Disaster Management Support Group (DMSG) which is
  focusing on data requirements
• Currently remote sensing of fire falls largely in
  the research domain there is a need to
  transition tested methods and techniques into the
  operational domain and to develop robust
  procedures to provide improved information
  building a strong operational user base
• Most fire management communities do not utilize
  the currently available satellite fire data
• Current information on fire does not meet the
  needs of the global change research community -
  a significant improvement is needed (and is
  feasible) in the provision of operational
  satellite and in-situ fire data and is largely a
  question of coordination and agency commitment

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Current Status

• The operational satellite agencies have not
  traditionally supported fire products (e.g.
  NOAA/EUMETSAT) but could do !
• A number of groups are developing fire products
  and systems using data from the operational and
  experimental satellites. A number of these could
  be considered as prototype components for
  operational fire monitoring systems. Few of these
  products can be considered as validated (i.e.
  with known accuracy).
• Users are often unaware of what is available or
  how to get the data. Poor access to the data can
  be an obstacle to efficient data use.
• In-situ data on fires are collected by fire
  management agencies, these data are often
  unavailable to the research community.
• Current observations are largely inadequate to
  meet answer needs e.g. to drive fire emissions
  models (emission factors, fuel load, moisture
  content, fire severity).
• There is a preponderance of case studies but few
  operational systems

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GOFC - Fire Goals

• Increased User Awareness increased
  understanding of the utility of satellite fire
  products for global change research, fire
  management and policy.
• Geostationary Global Fire Network providing
  operational standard fire products (active fire)
  in a timely fashion.
• Polar Orbiters providing operational global
  monitoring
• sensing systems designed for monitoring fire,
  burned area, emissions products
• providing operational moderate resolution
  long-term global fire products to meet user
  requirements and distributed ground stations
  providing regional products of known accuracy
  (active fire/burned area)
• operational high resolution data acquisition
  allowing post-fire assessments

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GOFC - Fire Goals (Contd.)

• Fire Product Accuracy - fire validation sites,
  protocols and nomenclature established providing
  accuracy assessment for all operational products
  and test bed for new or enhanced products.
• Fire Emissions Product Suites - developed and
  implemented at the regional scale input data
  and annual estimates being provided.
• Enhanced User Products - operational multi-source
  fire / GIS products interoperable catalogues,
  access to distributed data servers - initial
  regional focus - Web based systems model
  outputs.

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Priorities for GOFC Fire

• Ensure future operational systems include fire
  monitoring capability e.g. NPOESS Fire Detection
  (via NPP VIIRS and DMSP).
• Establish a Fire Product Validation Group
  undertaking product validation activities and
  setting up long-term fire validation sites.
• Develop improved understanding of needs and
  capabilities between satellite fire data
  producers and users.
• Develop automated Global Burned Area Monitoring
  capability.
• Put in place operational rapid response data
  systems to support fire management.
• Develop the capability to merge active fire data
  from multiple satellite sources in a Geographic
  Information System to form an Integrated
  Multi-source Fire Detection System.
• Develop standardized emission fields and haze
  products/ monitoring combining satellite data in
  dynamic emissions models.
• Provide programmatic and technical guidance
  concerning operational satellite-based fire
  monitoring for science and policy e.g. Millennium
  Ecosystem Assessment, UN IAWG on Wildland Fire.

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Fire IT Members

• Olivier Arino, ESA/ESRIN, Italy
• Chris Elvidge, NOAA/NGDC, USA
• Johann Goldammer, GFMC, Germany
• Jean-Marie Gregoire, JRC, Italy
• Chris Justice (Chairman), UMd, USA
• Mastura Mahmud, UKM, Malaysia
• Elaine Prins, NOAA/NESDIS/ASPT, USA
• Brian Stocks, CFS/GLFC/IRM, Canada
• TBD

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Examples of Needed GOFC-Fire Projects

• The expansion of the World Fire Web active fire
  monitoring network to provide global coverage
  with lt24-hour turnaround time multiple
  satellite and ground station sources
• The production of 1 km resolution regional and
  global area burned products, with moderate
  resolution sensors, such as ATSR , VGT and MODIS
  with known accuracy
• Develop a network of fire validation sites with
  standard data collection protocols and reporting
  providing accuracy assessment of fire products
• Community (producers and users) demonstration
  projects for selected regions
• integration of enhanced multi-source satellite
  data and GIS
• satellite and modeled emissions
• role of fire in the carbon budget
• Regional case studies of operational use of
  satellite fire data for
• fire management
• emissions estimation and smoke trace gas
  monitoring
• end to end fire monitoring system (fire risk,
  fire monitoring, fire recovery)

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GOFC Fire Progress To Date

• GOFC Fire Coordination Workshop JRC Ispra
  (1999)
• Fire Book (papers and discussion groups )
• S Africa Miombo GOFC Fire Workshop Matopos
  (1999)
• Burned Area Validation Protocols (SAFARI 2000)
  Zambia (2000)
• Southeast Asia GOFC Fire Workshop Tokyo (2001)
• WGISS TF GOFC Workshops Bangkok/ Tokyo
  (2000/2001)
• GOFC-Fire presentation / discussions EARSeL /
  Paris (2001)
• GOFC Fire Validation Workshop Lisbon (July 01)
  
• GOFC Fire Presentation / discussion Sivam,
  Brazil ( 01) ?
• GOFC Fire Emissions Workshop - Washington (02) ?

(planned workshops)
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Highlights Since Ispra 1999

• GOFC Fire Book from the Ispra Report (coming
  soon)
• SAFARI 2000 intensive campaign and EOS
  validation
• CEOS CVWG on Land Product Validation (LPV)
  established
• UN Interagency Task Force for Disaster Reduction
  developed WG 4 on Wildland Fire (May 2001)
• UN FAO Public Policy Report Published
• EOS TERRA launched MODIS Fire
• JRC World Fire Web currently in transition ?
• Agencies Supporting GOFC e.g.
• NASA LCLUC funded GOFC Projects
• ESA support for new Fire Products and Initiatives
  
• START GOFC Fellowship Program
• Strengthening of Regional Networks SEARIN
• Increased use of WWW for fire data access
• GOFC Science and Technology Board Meeting
• broadening scope

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GOES Wildfire ABBA Data Distribution System
Animations of Wildfire ABBA composite image
products are being provided via anonymous ftp and
the web every half-hour at http//cimss.ssec.wisc
.edu/goes/burn/wfabba.html Displays include three
overviews and 35 regional views providing
coverage of the entire Western Hemisphere.
Examples of Regional View Sectors
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ESA World Fire Atlas DESCW Tool
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NASA MODIS Fire Rapid Response Data System
Using a prototype streamlined fire and surface
reflectance code and a 4 hour delay feed of L0
MODIS data, we produce and distribute fire
detections and RGB imagery via the Internet using
FTP and ArcIMS feature server
http//rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov http//maps.geo
g.umd.edu
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World Fire Web Access via Internet Browser
http//opengis.jrc.it
Open GIS viewer allows users to overlay fire and
vegetation maps using internet browser e.g.
Netscape.