Abstract

Satellite remote sensing of fires provides a unique view of our planet and quantitative information that can inform resource management and policy. Operational and experimental satellite sensing systems have the capability to provide regional and global monitoring of fires. These systems provide different types of fire information for estimation of fire danger, detecting active fires, estimating burned area, quantifying emissions products, estimating fire damage and monitoring post-fire ecosystem recovery. Efforts to extract and provide such information fall largely in the research domain and are in various stages of development. The pressing demand for reliable and up-to-date information, on fire occurrence, extent and emissions, warrants the transition of the mature research methods and experimental sensors into the operational domain. Providing consistent, timely and easily useable fire information of known accuracy for improved resource management is a challenge facing the research and operational communities. As part of the Integrated Global Observing Systems initiative, an international program called Global Observations of Forest Cover/Global Observations of Land Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) is coordinating a concerted effort to meet this challenge. This paper describes the goals of this international program and provides a case study of the development and current status of satellite-based fire monitoring in Australia. We identify the major obstacles to a broader adoption of the technology by the fire community, the current needs and the relevance of the broader international program to national satellite-based fire monitoring activities.