Assessing forest fire potential in Kalimantan Island, Indonesia, using satellite and surface weather data

Abstract

An algorithm for assessing forest fire potential is tested for Kalimantan Island, Indonesia. It is based on a fuel model map modified from the US-National Fire Danger Rating System (US-NFDRS), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and weather data. The Indonesian fuel model map was derived using the global 4-minute land cover data set consisting of 13 classes. The NDVI data were derived from the global 4-minute NOAA-AVHRR data. The output is presented as a monthly Fire Potential Index (FPI) from 1981 to 1993 and compared with trends in fire occurrences over the same time period. A case study illustrates correlation between the FPI and the hot-spot distribution derived from AVHRR data, as well as between the FPI and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) Aerosol Index.