Wildfires: from remote sensing analysis to rapid response

(an example from Greenpeace Russia)

Anna Komarova anna.komarova@greenpeace.org
Photos by Maria Vasileva, Igor Podgorny, Anna Andreeva, Anna Baskakova, Natalia Maximova

Greenpeace - GIS-Labs
40 offices only 3 have GIS-Labs;
In Russia: 3 persons in GIS-Lab (since 2012); international projects

GIS-Lab Greenpeace Russia:

Campaign Driven Data Driven

Fukushima Disaster, 2011 March

Projects in GIS-Lab Greenpeace Russia:

Intact Forest Landscapes: inventory (finished), specification on regional level, change analysis

Fire analysis GIS-Arctic and oil spills detection

Projects in GIS-Lab Greenpeace Russia:

GIS, data analysis and operative mapping support for all campaign projects (in addition to listed above): Kids For Forest UNESCO World Nature Heritage

and many other campaign projects see www.greenpeace.ru

Firefighting project in Greenpeace Russia:

established officially in 2011, but since 1998 the model area Homeland of the Crane, the North of Moscow region 2010 informing the people about fire disaster; assistance to Voluntary Firefighting Team remote sensing data has become the basic source of information since ~2006-08

Firefighting project in Greenpeace Russia:

The first aim is to ensure public supervision of state firefighting activity Voluntary firefighting groups (>10)

Firefighting project in Greenpeace Russia:

monitoring, forecasting and informing people rapid response (conservation areas, drained peats, radiocontaminated areas)

analysis of consequences, media coverage, lobbying for changes of forest and fire laws

Remote sensing data (principal sources):

FIRMS http://earthdata.nasa.gov/data/nrt-data/firms

Remote sensing data (principal sources):

MODIS http://earthdata.nasa.gov/data/near-real-time-data/rapid-response/modis-subsets; http://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/data/search.html

Remote sensing data (principal sources):

Landsat http://glovis.usgs.gov/

Monitoring, forecasting and informing people

the goal is to report a real situation, because the state officers usually cant provide truth (they dont know sometimes and, more, they are limited by regulation for lie ( ) (Order #386, 29.06.06 by Ministry of Emergency) and requirements of good statistics) day-to-day checking the situation (FIRMS) news and every-week reviews on www.forestforum.ru forecasting maps

Fires which didnt exist

Monitoring, forecasting and informing people

Treats of Forest Fires in 2011 and Main Results of Forest Fire of 2010, Central Part of European Russia

Orange large dry pine and mixed forests on sand, green the largest drained peats, red fireplaces 2010, blue windfalls, yellow contaminated areas after Chernobyl disaster, green spots burned populated places in 2010

Monitoring, forecasting and informing people

Interactive map of drained peatlands

http://www.forestforum.ru/peatfires.php

www.fires.kosmosnimki.ru

Amur region
according the state information, on the 17 of May only 2 fires burn in Amur region
http://www.28.mchs.gov.ru/news/detail.php?news=8669

Monitoring, forecasting and informing people

Interactive map of drained peatlands

Rapid response :
We always inform the state of region and MOE and try to make them to start putting out the fire; if the state of region cant manage the situation, we require them to put in force the regime of emergency situation We take part in extinguishing the fire in conservation areas, drained peats, radiocontaminated areas where its too dangerous to wait for state response The procedure of fire rapid response was elaborated in 2010

 : FIRMS + Google

 : MODIS

Modis/Terra ( )

Modis/Terra ( 7-2-1)

http://fires.kosmosnimki.ru/

The procedure of fire rapid response :

Remote sensing (RS) To get information about fire (geoservers, descriptions, official data) To appraise the situation (by satellite images (SI) / by contact with people who live at the region); decision about departure to the fire Preparing the map data Equiping of rapid response group Comparing remote sensing data and observed situation Putting out the fire Rapid response group

Two-way informational exchange (data concerning on spreading the fire during putting out)
Post-fire monitoring, areas counting by landing observe and by high-resolution SI

Greenpeace rapid response

Greenpeace rapid response

Greenpeace rapid response

Greenpeace rapid response

Greenpeace rapid response

Analysis of consequences, media coverage, lobbying for changes of forest and fire laws
2010

http://gis-lab.info/qa/fires-greenpeace.html

OSM

FIRMS

http://fires.kosmosnimki.ru

http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2010/08/17/20100817_ru.htm

OSM

 - MODIS

3,736 . , ~ 500 . -

http://gis-lab.info/qa/fires-greenpeace.html

Analysis of consequences, media coverage, lobbying for changes of forest and fire laws
Mapping of burned area: 2011 8,9 mln ha MODIS (state report: 1,8 mln ha)

MODIS Subsets, 721

http://earthdata.nasa.gov/data/near-real-time-data/rapid-response/modis-subsets

27/09/2010

17/09/2011

We estimate the burned areas, because official statistic is mendacious: official data for 2011 is 5 time less then area been estimated using satellite images (1,8 mln ha and 9 mln ha). FIRMS helps to find burned areas through the large territory of Russia

blue points are FIRMS data, red line marks burned area

Analysis of consequences, media coverage, lobbying for changes of forest and fire laws
mln ha

Official data are very understated

25 20

Confidence Level of Natural Fires Data

billion ha

15 10 5 0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Russia statistics Global Fire Monitor Center/Sukachev Forest Institute

2012: blue lines VEGA (http://vega.smislab.ru/pre ss/fireobzor.shtml) red Rosleskhoz green - MOE

Analysis of consequences, media coverage, lobbying for changes of forest and fire laws
Change of laws we need: restore of forest guard and the status of forest rangers, reduction of paper circulation in forestry, abrogation of law about licensing of firefighting and a number of another ones

www.forestforum.ru Orange blocks are forest guard staff (the number of people), green blocks other staff of forestry sector (bureaucracy as first)

Peats seems to be the principal problem

The most dangerous type of fire, because its hidden disaster They start to burn in spring because of grass fires not because of spontaneous ignition and spread to the vast areas They may be fixed by FIRMS only because of grass fire and its impossible later, still to the disaster We noted some cases of false marked FIRMS-points on the exploited peatbogs we need a detail images for distinguish

 forestforum

FIRMS + GoogleEarth

MODIS

Underground fire

Extinguishing the peat fire burning is going on

:
\ \ : : \

+ landuse . ( Google Earth) ! ?

+ landuse . ( Google Earth) ! ?

? ( )

Summary
Remote sensing analysis is developed enough for work against wildfires; since 2008 our work based on RS. We need not so much technology development of RS as expansion of RS use, first by state and MOE. The principal reason of fire disasters destruction of forest management practice and extensive lie and concealing of information by government. So the point is to eradicate the state lie. The role of RS the officers would understand that its vain to conceal, because the objective information is widespread. Than, the RS data would be taken into account for the state statistic reports. The high-resolution and as updated as its possible SI are very required, first of all for extinguishing of peat fires. SI and SI-based structures are required not for detection of fires, but for forecasting also.

Thanks for attention

GIS-Lab, Greenpeace Russia Leningradsky prospect 26 b.1, Moscow, 125040 +7(495)988-74-60 ext. 303, 312 Anna Komarova anna.komarova@greenpeace.org +7(903)626-95-55