{"id":577672,"date":"2025-08-12T14:58:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T14:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=577672"},"modified":"2025-09-04T18:07:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T18:07:15","slug":"seeing-the-big-picture-remote-sensing-in-the-wildfire-technology-toolkit","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/seeing-the-big-picture-remote-sensing-in-the-wildfire-technology-toolkit","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the Big Picture: Remote Sensing in the Wildfire Technology Toolkit"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this series, you\u2019ve now seen the key wildfire apps, the data feeds that power them, and the national geographic information system (GIS) environment where professionals do their work. To round out this series, we\u2019re going to take situational awareness to space. Remote sensing resources like satellite imagery, thermal sensors, and airborne platforms let us map fires when smoke and terrain make on\u2011the\u2011ground observation and mapping impossible. We\u2019ll also introduce Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA)<\/a> technology, which allows agencies and incident management teams to order aircraft and satellite assets to deliver geospatial intelligence during a fire.<\/p>\n\n

Satellite Imagery<\/h2>\n\n

Today, effectively fighting wildfires requires near real-time maps. This often translates to up-to-date imagery. Enter Content Store for ArcGIS, a commercial satellite imagery service that feels like a cheat code for imagery. It allows you to access an enormous range of satellite images on demand, often pulling from dozens of different satellites. The content store basically aggregates earth observation data from industry-leading sources into a single easy-to-use platform, so you don\u2019t have to juggle multiple satellite providers or arcane ordering systems. You\u2019re able to identify an area of interest over a specified date and grab imagery. Depending on the imagery you choose, there is a cost to this service. Regardless, I want you to be aware that it exists, especially if you can purchase imagery during an ongoing incident. Read more about the Content Store for ArcGIS here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Satellite Tasking<\/h2>\n\n

When you need on-demand imagery for mapping an area of interest, such as the area of an ongoing wildfire, you\u2019ll need direct satellite tasking capabilities. You can do this from the Content Store for ArcGIS mentioned above (this webinar<\/a> shows you how). There are also a range of companies that provide tasking services, such as ICEYE<\/a>, BlackSky<\/a>, and Planet<\/a>. To effectively get what you need, it\u2019s important to understand why<\/em> you need imagery. For mapping, RGB could <\/em>be enough. However, if there\u2019s still heavy smoke and you\u2019re looking to complete damage assessment work, you may need synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. This would require a call to ICEYE for tasking and purchasing the company\u2019s wildfire insights.<\/p>\n\n

ICEYE staff completed damage assessment work by tasking their satellites for the Palisades and Eaton Fires this past January 2025. The results of their work are below, and you can read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

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Screenshot of 3D Damage Assessment Dashboard \u2013 Eaton Fire<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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3D Damage Assessment Dashboard \u2013 Palisades <\/em>Fire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

Thermal Hot Spots: VIIRS and MODIS<\/h2>\n\n

No wildfire tech toolkit is complete without the venerable Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)<\/a> and Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)<\/a> thermal hot spot data. By now, most of us have used these types of satellite fire detection\u2014those little red and orange dots on maps indicating where something\u2019s burning. These come from NASA\/NOAA satellites orbiting Earth and are used to broaden people\u2019s situational awareness of fires. In ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World<\/a>, the VIIRS thermal hot spots layer is readily available as a live feed<\/a>. It\u2019s updated a couple of times a day, about once every 12 hours across the globe, with each hot spot including attributes like the time of detection and fire radiative power. The resolution is low at 375 meters. MODIS is older but still useful for near real-time fire detection.<\/p>\n\n

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Satellite (MODIS) Thermal Hotspots and Fire Activity Layer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

Using these hot spot layers effectively requires a bit of know-how and patience. Here are some tips to get the most out of VIIRS\/MODIS fire data:<\/p>\n\n