Synergistic use of multi-satellite remote sensing to detect forest fires: A case study in South Korea

Forest fire frequency is increasing owing to climate change. Therefore, better forest fire monitoring strategies are required, as they can start unexpectedly and spread rapidly. Earth observation satellites can efficiently prompt rapid responses to forest fires. In this study, Burned Area Index (BAI) and difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) were analysed to detect and monitor a forest fire in Korea using data from four sun-synchronous satellites and one geostationary satellite, and the results were compared in terms of their spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions. KOMPSAT-3A efficiently estimated detailed information of the fire on a local-scale for its spatial resolution but was limited to only observing the local-scale fire due to its narrow swath. Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 were adequate for observing the forest fire on both local- and large-scales and provided more spectral bands and temporal information, which increased the accuracy of detecting the fire damage. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and GK-2A showed the highest temporal resolution and enabled early detection of the wildfire and its duration, but their low spatial resolutions limited damage estimates to the local-scale. Thus, satellites worldwide may be used synergistically to ensure efficient responses to frequent and massive forest fires.