Near Real-Time Monitoring of Alaska Wildfires with JPSS Satellites

Imagery from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard low-earth orbiting Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites is essential for wildfire detection and management in Alaska. With the recent addition of NOAA-21, there are now up to 27 daily passes over northern interior Alaska. Data from VIIRS are even more important due to the limited application of GEOS data in Northern Alaska. The Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) operates two direct-broadcast antennas and a near real-time production system that provides satellite fire products to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC). Near-real time delivery of map services allows fire managers with essential information used to protect Alaska communities from wildfire.

GINA has developed a cloud-based processing system designed to reduce latency and downtime, which was implemented for the 2023 fire season, and is developing additional products designed to assist decision making. An Air Quality Forecast map service was also created in collaboration with the Mao Lab at UAF. This presentation will discuss the 2023 fire season in Alaska and showcase the products GINA provides to AICC.