Global Fire Information Management System

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GFIMS and who is it aimed at?
Fire data status / MODIS Rapid Response System status
MODIS Fire Product User's Guide
Citation Information
What is MODIS?
When were the Terra and Aqua satellites launched?
What time does the satellite pass over my area?
How often are the hotspot / fire data acquired?
What is the plan after MODIS?
What is NPP?
What is VIIRS?
MODIS Active Fire Data
What is a MODIS hotspot/fire detection?
How are hotspots/fires detected?
What does a hotspot/fire detection mean on the ground?
What size hotspots/fires can be detected?
I only see fire data available for the last 7 days on your website. How can I get older data?
Factors Affecting Fire Detections
Using GFIMS Fire Data
Why did MODIS not detect a particular fire?
How do I know if a hotspot/fire detection was missed due to cloud or missing data?
Why do you not see the same fire twice in subsequent overpasses?
Do cloud shadows affect hotspot/fire detections?
Can MODIS detect fires below the forest canopy?
How does the view angle of the MODIS instrument affect hotspot/fire detections?
How does air temperature affect fire detection?
Web Fire Mapper
How appropriate are the 1km MODIS hotspot/fire locations for my research?
What is the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) fire product?
Fire Pixel Locations vs. Gridded Fire Products
Can I estimate burned area using the active fire/hotspot data?
How often are the hotspot/fire data acquired – what is the temporal resolution?
What is the time delay between satellite overpass and data provision on GFIMS?
What are the attributes in the hotspot/active fire data?
What is the brightness temperature?
What does scan and track mean?
What is the detection confidence?
What are Collections?
What are the improvements with Collection 5?
Are there any missing MODIS fire/hotspot data?
Can you use the MODIS active fire product for detecting volcanoes or volcanic eruptions?
What validation of the MODIS active fire products has been performed?
Where can I get more information on the MODIS Fire Products?
What other types of hotspot/fire data are available?
What is Web Fire Mapper?
Why can't I open Web Fire Mapper in my browser?
When trying to access Web Fire Mapper, I get an error that reads "Service not available. Please try again". What does this mean?
What open source components are used in Web Fire Mapper?
Can I download the hotspot/fire data from Web Fire Mapper?
Can I get information on burned areas from Web Fire Mapper?
What is the difference between the data sourced from MODIS Rapid Response and MODAPS Collection 5?
What are the known issues with Web Fire Mapper?
Email Alerts
Can you notify me when a hotspot/fire occurs in my area of interest?
Do you provide mobile/cell phone text messages?
What are the near-real time email alerts?
Why do I receive more than one near-real time alert in a short period of time?
How do I subscribe or edit email alerts?
My email has changed, how do I change it?
I can't see the administrative boundaries, where are they?
I have received a CSV file as part of my Email Alert, how do I add it as a layer in a Desktop GIS software?
Data Format
Available Data Formats for hotspot/fire information
How do I register to receive active fire/hotspot text files?
How do I use them?
How do I view the KML in Google Earth?
Things to be aware of when viewing MODIS active fire data in Google Earth
The KML in Google Earth shows a hotspot/fire in a park nearby, but I did not see that fire. Is it a real fire?
What is the KML Time series?
Why can't I see all the fire points in Google Maps?
Web Map Services (WMS):
How do I view the WMS?
NASA WorldWind:
How do I view the NASA WorldWind Plugin? ?
MODIS Image Subsets
What is an image subset?
Can I get an image subset for my area of interest?
Other Products
What other products are available?