Remote Sensing Forest Fires: Before and After Rob Gaboy & Aimee Treutlein

Outline Why remote sensing is useful Current methods & problems with them Future of remote sensing –LIDAR –Landsat –AVHRR –ASTER –Hyperspectral satellites

Why? Human population Environmental planning More cost/time efficient than current methods Better understanding Detailed mapping Improved accuracy

Current Methods Aerial photography Field measurements and mapping Passive remote sensing Medium spatial resolution multi-spectral satellite

Aerial Photography Problems Limited number of bands Limited coverage Time consuming Can’t take photos as often Development cost Difficulty assessing fuel –subjective

Problems in the Field Time consuming Accessibility issues Subjective Costly –Human and instrument Low updating frequency

Passive Sensors Effectiveness Can’t see understory Depends on intended application

Medium Resolution Superficial observations Reflectance Rely on field obs

LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging Penetrability Accuracy Data computed Applications

Landsat Multispectral –visible and mid-infrared High resolution Surface/Canopy characteristics Vegetation categories Recalibrate

AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Originally Met. Satellite Multispectral –visible and thermal infrared Long-term monitoring Remote and isolated areas Restricted

ASTER Multispectral –visible and near-infrared telescope Vegetation Mapping fuel characteristics Quantitative accuracy

Hyperspectral Directly related analysis Map vegetation Species mapping Vegetation classification Preventative measure Limited spatial coverage

Conclusions Better than aerial/ground obs Don’t use alone Need for surface info Most cost efficient Helpful in mapping and analyzing –both before and after Don’t generalize, need to know underlying process

References Remote Sensing Techniques to Assess Active Fire Characteristics and Post-Fire Effects. Lentile, Leigh B. et al., International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2006, 15, Evaluating ASTER Satellite Imagery and Gradient Modeling for Mapping and Characterizing Wildland Fire Fuels. Falkowski, Michael J. et al., ASPRS Annual Conference Proceedings, May 2004 Assessing Fuel Loads using Remote Sensing Technical Report Summary. Roff, A. et al., The University of New South Wales,