Researchers finding answer to forest fire control in space

Monday, 16 February 2009
At a time when many people are struggling with the aftermath of the Victorian bushfires, Spanish scientists are finding that remote sensing from space will help provide highly accurate parameters for forest fire control.
The observation of the Earth’s surface by satellites can provide basic information for environmental management and the prevention of forest fires, according to an article on www.consumer.es.
Investigators of the Madrid Polytechnic University (UPM in Spanish) are reported to have explained that sensors installed in satellites in orbit around the Earth provide great amount of data whose analysis allows an understanding with high accuracy the various parameters required for fire control.
Thus, it is possible to know, for example, the type of cover on the ground and to classify it in different types of vegetation, such as forest, scrub or pasture, or to even differentiate some groups within that vegetation.
It is possible to discern the type of forest, if it is made up by coniferous or non-evergreen species.
There are other satellites that send weather data, such as the ground temperature, the atmospheric temperature and the relative humidity, but it is also essential to know the level of humidity in the vegetation thus to predict the possible behavior in case of fire.
Space remote sensing can also be applied to other ends, such as updating forest inventory or obtaining a deeper understanding of the structure and composition of forests.
For this reason, researchers in the UPM’s Sustainable Management Technologies and Methodologies Group have been applying their knowledge gained from remote sensing to the land cover study, giving special attention to the forest surface, its composition and structures.
Researcher Lara Arroyo has created a methodology that allows monitor the forests for fire prevention purposes, in areas of special risk, such as neighbourhoods in urban areas.
This methodology allows the generation of forest fuel maps from images gain from the “Quickbird” satellite.
With a resolution of 60 centimeters, "Quickbird" it is able to major provide data to a detailed level, allowing researchers to generate fuel maps, the University said in a statement.
On the other hand, Cristina Pascual, another of the researchers at Tecnatura, used laser technology laser to obtain data of tree heights and was able to calculate biomass, the volume of wood and other data of interest for management purposes.
“Forest companies and natural resource and parks administrators can use this tool as an application of great use in understanding conservation and maintenance of natura areas. It is hoped these results will contribute to conservation and improve our environment,” the UPM said.
[As reported by Lignum]