Wildfire Service

Satellite-detected active fire monitoring from NASA FIRMS

The WildfireService provides real-time active fire detection data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), using VIIRS and MODIS satellite sensors.

Base Path

/api/wildfire/v1

Endpoints

ListFireDetections

Retrieves satellite-detected active fires from NASA FIRMS with confidence scores and brightness values.

HTTP Method: GET

Path: /api/wildfire/v1/list-fire-detections

Request Parameters

hours · number · default: "24"

Time window in hours for fire detections (1-48)

min_confidence · number · default: "50"

Minimum confidence threshold (0-100). VIIRS uses nominal/low/high, MODIS uses percentage.

region · string

Optional geographic filter: global, americas, europe, asia, africa, oceania

Response Fields

detections · array

Array of fire detection events

Show detection object

latitude · number

Fire detection latitude

longitude · number

Fire detection longitude

brightness · number

Brightness temperature in Kelvin (VIIRS channel I-4, MODIS channel 21/22)

scan · number

Along-scan pixel size in km

track · number

Along-track pixel size in km

acq_date · string

Acquisition date (YYYY-MM-DD)

acq_time · string

Acquisition time (HHMM UTC)

satellite · string

Satellite: NOAA-20, NOAA-21, SUOMI-NPP, Terra, Aqua

confidence · string

VIIRS: low, nominal, high. MODIS: 0-100 percentage

version · string

FIRMS data version

bright_t31 · number

MODIS-specific: Channel 31 brightness temperature in Kelvin

frp · number

Fire Radiative Power in MW (megawatts)

daynight · string

D (day) or N (night)

total_count · number

Total number of fire detections in response

source · string

Data source: NASA_FIRMS_VIIRS or NASA_FIRMS_MODIS

Example Request

curl "https://worldmonitor.app/api/wildfire/v1/list-fire-detections?hours=24&min_confidence=75&region=americas"

Example Response

{
  "detections": [
    {
      "latitude": 34.52,
      "longitude": -118.24,
      "brightness": 362.5,
      "scan": 0.42,
      "track": 0.42,
      "acq_date": "2024-03-01",
      "acq_time": "1830",
      "satellite": "NOAA-20",
      "confidence": "high",
      "version": "2.0NRT",
      "bright_t31": null,
      "frp": 12.8,
      "daynight": "D"
    }
  ],
  "total_count": 1,
  "source": "NASA_FIRMS_VIIRS"
}

Data Sources

• NASA FIRMS: Fire Information for Resource Management System
• VIIRS: Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (375m resolution)
• MODIS: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (1km resolution)

Use Cases

Wildfire tracking

Monitor active wildfires globally with near-real-time satellite detections for emergency response and evacuation planning.

Agricultural burning

Track controlled burns and agricultural fires that may impact air quality or signal land-use changes.

Infrastructure risk

Identify fires near critical infrastructure (power lines, pipelines, datacenters) for risk assessment.

Climate monitoring

Aggregate fire activity over time to track deforestation, peatland fires, and climate-related fire season changes.

Notes

VIIRS has higher spatial resolution (375m) than MODIS (1km), making it better for detecting smaller fires.

Fire detections are near-real-time but not instant. Satellite overpass schedules mean fires may be detected 3-6 hours after ignition.

High brightness values (>400K) often indicate very intense fires or industrial heat sources (gas flares, steel mills).