The information that is reported in INFRA belongs to two distinct categories:
A – parameters calculated through appropriate algorithms that take into account weather conditions, as well as information on the vegetation present (type, quantity) and any information on orography. All risk indices (fires, lightning) and those that provide information on possible fire trends belong to this category
B – information derived from satellite observation. Active fires, burned areas, ancillary information on the type and quantity of vegetation (potential fuel) belong to this category.
In this section useful information is given to understand how it is possible to have information on vegetation and fires through satellites.
For earth observation, polar satellites are used that orbit the earth at low altitude, allowing the earth's surface to be observed in great detail.
Sensors (radiometers) are placed on board the polar satellites that are able to measure the radiation reflected by the earth. This reflected radiation and its spectral distribution depends strongly on the characteristics of the surface. In particular, if an area is particularly hot, this radiation is much greater than normal. At the same time, if the observed area has been crossed by a fire, the spectral trend of the reflected radiation is very different from that which characterizes vegetation not attacked by fire.
Therefore, by observing the radiation in appropriate areas of the electromagnetic spectrum (bands), it is possible to obtain information on the characteristics (type, quantity) of the vegetation present, on any active fires, on the areas affected by a fire even after a long time.
To learn more about the parameters used to assess the risks connected to wildfires (category A), we recommend consulting
National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) americano
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS)
Global Wildfire Information System GWIS implementato dalla EU
https://gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/about-gwis/technical-background/burnt-areas
https://climate.copernicus.eu/wildfire-impact-how-it-monitored-measured
The link https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/home allows you to have an overview of a wide range of parameters. For each of these parameters you can find the daily maps starting from 2000, and you can find a concise but clear explanation of its meaning
For a more in-depth look at fire observation techniques::
Observing Earth From Space
Observe Earth from Space
Finally, for a more in-depth look at satellites and their sensors:
For satellites:
https://www.lamma.toscana.it/meteo/osservazioni-satellite/polari/legenda
polar orbit.ogv
https://gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/about-gwis/technical-background/active-fire-detection
https://terra.nasa.gov/
https://eospso.nasa.gov/missions/suomi-national-polar-orbiting-partnership
For sensors used:
https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/
https://viirsland.gsfc.nasa.gov/
https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss/VIIRS.php