Wildfire Map, Tracker, Info + Alerts: Fireguard

QUICK START: Open app and tap on "Fires near me"

This is an app for detecting and monitoring wildfires. The app sends you a notification when a fire/hotspot has been detected by satellite-based systems within a geographic region that you choose.

Fire/hotspot alerts are based on information from the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) I-Band 375 m Active Fire Data product published by NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS).

This app works in all locations worldwide.

New: View wildfire perimeters and smoke areas on the map

★ Get warnings for unreported fires/hotspots
★ Track position and movement of existing wildfires
★ Monitor facilities/equipment in remote locations

Useful for:

• Natural resource managers
• Public utilities and telecom providers
• Anyone living or working in wildfire-prone areas

To use the app, first you define the area you're interested in by selecting an area on a map. Then the app starts monitoring that area, and you get a notification when a fire/hotspot is detected within your area. Regular monitoring continues even when the app is not in use.

Is this app a "real-time" fire scanner?

No. There is a delay of up to 12 hours in between satellite overpasses, plus a further delay while NASA/NOAA/USGS processes the data. This delay will be reduced in the future when more satellites are launched. Do not use this app for making decisions relating to evacuations. Follow the instructions of your local authorities.

Background Information

The VIIRS system is a scanning radiometer instrument deployed on the Suomi-NPP polar-orbiting satellite that orbits the earth daily and continually scans the earth's surface for fires/hotspots. VIIRS collects visible and infrared imagery and radiometric measurements of the land, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans.

This app uses the VIIRS 375m active fire product, which is in its first release. Its active fire algorithms are still being refined by the NASA VIIRS science team, which investigates data issues such as omissions and false alarms. NASA reports that the current data is considered good enough quality for use in fire management applications.

Satellites

(Active) Suomi NPP: Two overpasses per day for all points on earth. Global fire activity is mapped at 12 hour intervals or more frequently.

(2021 launch) JPSS-2, same orbit as Suomi NPP

(2021 launch) GOES-T

(2022+? launch) HyspIRI

(2024 launch) GOES-U

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite
Background information adapted from NOAA/NASA websites

Suomi NPP was launched on Oct. 28, 2011, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, with 5 key instruments, including VIIRS. The VIIRS sensor is a component of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), a NOAA/NASA program, and the Defense Weather Satellite System, a U.S. Air Force program, were tasked with the next generation requirements for environmental research, weather forecasting and climate monitoring measurement capabilities that Suomi NPP represents.

Since 2004, scientists funded by NOAA and NASA have been evaluating and validating the JPSS VIIRS Land operational products. Prior to launch, these products were created by applying VIIRS code to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. In 2014, based on this long period of product evaluation, NASA independently embarked on a program to create enhanced operational products, as well as additional products not included in NOAA's operational suite, to provide dynamic continuity with their well established MODIS data record.

VIIRS extends and improves upon a series of measurements initiated by its predecessors, the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and MODIS sensors.