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 Piper Navajo remote sensing aircraft

Fire Science

Wildfire Monitoring and Prediction
Fire Imaging

Old Fire, San Bernardino NF
29 October 2003- repeat flights


As viewed by the FireMapper™ Thermal-Imaging Radiometer

Images were collected from the PSW Airborne Sciences Aircraft and disseminated in part by satellite communications in near-real time. FireMapper measures the radiance of emitted thermal-infrared light, which readily penetrates smoke. False-color images shown here depict the apparent surface temperature (in Celsius) as estimated from radiance and a simple black-body model. Warmer tones represent recent or active combustion; areas of gray are cooling ash or warm bare ground (see chart below). Low temperatures of unburned forest and cool ground are shown in green. Images have been geographically referenced. Vertical exaggeration in 3-d views is 1.5 to one unless otherwise noted.

   
   

Fire Area Map

 


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image
(opens a new browser window)
Fire Imagery


The following color-coded images depict apparent ground surface temperatures in Celsius. Roads, streams, and the text in the background are from a 1:250,000 topographic map.

 

Note:

These images were collected by sensors in a small aircraft flying in turbulent Santa Ana wind conditions, and slight shifts and rotations between images are to be expected. When the individual images are spliced together into a larger mosaic, errors in edge matching may result in duplication of some points near the seam, and the loss of others in the overlap area.

Do not depend on these images for accurate fireline locations. Use the map backgrounds as a general location guide, and look for recognizable terrain features or landmarks on the imagery itself for relative positioning of hotspots. Bodies of water, street grids, open fields, highways, ridgelines and stream courses show up well in this imagery.

 

Image 1: Multi-pass mosaic
Ground surface temperatures as viewed from above at 11.9 micrometers wavelength on 29 October 2003, between 7:23 and 8:08 PM PST.

Link to download full-resolution thermal data in geoTIFF zip file. 3 MB file size.


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

Image 2: Detail- north
Ground surface temperatures as viewed from above at 11.9 micrometers wavelength on 29 October 2003, between 3:40 and 4:01 PM PST.

Background image is from 5 November, 2003

 


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

   

Image 2a:
Google Earth view

View from south, looking toward Lake Arrowhead on 29 October 2003, between 3:40 and 4:01 PM PST.


View this Old Fire image as Google Earth overlay


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

 

Image 3: Detail- south
Ground surface temperatures as viewed from above at 11.9 micrometers wavelength on 29 October 2003, between 3:40 and 4:01 PM PST.

Background image is from 5 November, 2003


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

 

Image 3a: 3D
Perspective view from the south.

Background image is from 5 November, 2003.

No vertical exaggeration.


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

 

The following images are from repeat passes over the active firelines

 

Image 4: Detail- north
Ground surface temperatures as viewed from above at 11.9 micrometers wavelength on 29 October 2003, between 4:09 and 4:14 PM PST.

Background image is from 5 November, 2003

 


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

 

Image 4a: Detail- south
Ground surface temperatures as viewed from above at 11.9 micrometers wavelength on 29 October 2003, between 4:23 and 4:29 PM PST.

Background image is from 5 November, 2003


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

   

Image 4b:
Google Earth view

View from south, looking toward Lake Arrowhead on 29 October 2003, between 3:40 and 4:01 PM PST.


View this Old Fire image as Google Earth overlay

 


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

 

Image 4c: 3D
Perspective view from the south.

Background image is from 5 November, 2003.

No vertical exaggeration.


Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image

 

 

 

Links


Archives of past fires: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001


Forest mapping: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001


FireMapper™ Specifications: Instrument

FireMapper™ References: Publications

FireMapper™ Tools- image analysis software: ftp downloads page

For Further Information: contact Dr. Philip J. Riggan

 

FireMapper™ has been developed through a Research Joint Venture with Space Instruments, Inc., and support from the National Fire Plan, Forest Service International Programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Joint Fire Sciences Program, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Disclaimer: Trade names, commercial products, and enterprises are mentioned solely for information. No endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is implied.
 

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 Last Modified: 2007-09-27