Fire Danger Assessment Using Moderate-Spatial Resolution Satellite Data

Abstract

Fire is one of the most common disturbances in natural ecosystems. The analysis of various sources of information (official and unofficial) about the fires in Ukraine (2019–2020) showed a lack of timely and reliable information. Satellite observation is of crucial importance to provide accurate, reliable, and timely information. This paper aims to modify the index of fire danger of a forest’s FWI by increasing its precision, based on the use of higher spatial resolution satellite data. A modification of the FWI method involves the utilization of the soil moisture deficit, in addition to the six subindices of the FWI system. In order to calculate the subindices values, weather data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service were used. Soil moisture deficit is calculated using Sentinel-1 radar satellite data on the water saturation degree of the soil surface layer and geospatial parameters from the 3D Soil Hydraulic Database of Europe. The application of the proposed methodology using the specified satellite, weather, and geospatial data makes it possible to assess fire danger on a continental scale with a spatial resolution of 250 m, 1 km, and a daily temporal resolution. Validation of the proposed method for modifying the FWI system demonstrates an improvement in the precision and relevance of fire danger prediction.