Identification and selection of indices and analysis methodologies for mapping burned area and severity from EOT

About This Project

This document is aimed at defining the most suitable spectral indexes, and potential combinations of them, together with processing techniques and data sources for the estimation of fire severity at a prompt approach, right after the fire event (days). As a result, burned area maps may be produced in order to support managers at high decision level (strategic purposes, such as launching arrangements with higher level administrations (Estate, Europe?), as well as provide expert staff with a basic instrument for planning and support field diagnosis during the following weeks after the fire.
The scope of the works does not go beyond the objective of offering methods to provide preliminary diagnosis of burned areas, which use must be fitted to high level decisions in the very early stages after the fire (days), and support the planning of subsequent more detailed diagnosis, including field sampling works, which should take place in the following weeks.
The methodology has been carried out jointly by the University of Valencia (UVEG) and the TRAGSA group with the collaboration of CIF. This activity is linked with activities 2.2 (Quick methodologies for on-site validation of Burn Area and Severity Maps), 2.3 (GIS geoprocessing of post-fire risk factors addressed to the weighting of risks related to soil) and 2.4 (Integration, implementation requirements and prototypes), and inputs Task 3.1 as baseline for planning and optimizing of field campaigns.