Abstract ID: 188

Mapping burned area in Rondônia state using Modis data

The objective of this paper is to present a method for mapping burned areas in Brazilian Amazonia using Terra MODIS data. The proposed approach is based on INPE&rsquos DETER (Detection of Deforested Areas in Real Time Project) .method that applies image segmentation to the fraction images derived from MODIS, using a nonsupervised classification per region algorithm followed by an image edition procedure for minimizing misclassifications. Rondônia State, located in the western region of Brazilian Amazonia, was considered for this study. The study area is primarily covered by tropical moist forests (&ldquoFloresta Ombrofila Aberta”) that has been deforested during the last decades. MODIS (MOD09) data used in this work were acquired on September 3, 15 and 25, 2005 and on October 12, 2005 over the study area. The INPE&rsquos DETER 2004 dataset for Rondonia State was used to identify the land cover types affected by the fires. Landsat TM scene (path/row 231/67) acquired on October 01 and field observations were also used as ground truth for supporting and validating the MODIS results. The results of multitemporal analysis with MODIS showed that about 19,888 km2 of land surface were burned in Rondônia State. From this, 7,291 km2 (37%) corresponded to the previously deforested areas and 7,942 km2 (40%) corresponded to the forested areas, the others 4,665 km2 (23%) occurred on the Cerrado biome. This information are critical for regional and global environmental studies. The results showed that MODIS sensor daily data is a useful source of information for mapping burned areas and the proposed method can be used in an operational project in Brazilian Amazonia.

Session:  Fire - Fire, drought, and changes in vegetation structure and composition

Presentation Type:  Poster