NASA MODIS satellite data used by U of C prof to predict Alberta wildfires

A University of Calgary professor is using NASAsatellite datato better understand forest fire dangers across Alberta, particularlyin remote areas that lack traditional weather stations.

Because maintaining meteorologicalstations inremote locations can be challenging and expensive,QuaziHassanand his research team have found a workaround to collect data for the same weathervariables.

Using data from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite, Hassan has been able to create five classes of forest fire risk based on precipitable water, land surface temperature and vegetation moisture.

Hassan's team found that their extremely high, very high and high classificationscoincided with 77 per cent of the wildfiresin Alberta from 2009 to 2011.

These findings were promising enough that after five years of funding from the NaturalSciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), his project has received another five-year federal grant.

"The end goal is to develop a forest fire forecasting system which can augment the existing system," Hassan said in an interview with The Homestretch.

Alberta has roughly 350 meteorological stations thatcollect data ontemperature, wind speed, humidity and rainfall.

Hassan hopes thesemechanisms will allow firefighters and officials to respond more quickly to wildfires.

Histeam also plans to investigate broader questions ofhow wildfires behaveand what drivessmoke migration patterns.

With files from The Homestretch