J7G.2
Evaluating Fire Impacts with Landsat Data: A Comparison of Two Methodologies
Stephen M. Howard, SAIC and USGS, Sioux Falls, SD; and A. Orlemann and C. H. Key
For several years, the US Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center and USGS EROS Data Center have produced Landsat-based products used by Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) teams and others to evaluate and map the impacts and effects of fire upon the landscape. These products form the basis of the BAER teams’ final burn severity maps and recommendations to mitigate the effects of fire. Two methodologies have been used to produce the initial Landsat products. One method computes a simple ratio of two bands from a single date of post-fire imagery. The second method utilizes the difference of two-band transformations computed from two dates of imagery (pre-fire and post-fire). The different methodologies caused some concern among the BAER teams. Are the two methods comparable? A regression analysis of products from both methods revealed a high correlation. Both products also compared favorably with ground-based assessments of fire impacts.
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Joint Session 7G, Wildfire Burn Severity Mapping (Special Session) (TRACK VII)
Tuesday, 18 November 2003, 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
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