Adding Lines Along Pixels: Remote Sensing, Traditional Knowledge and Human–Fire Interactions in Ethiopia and India

Abstract

This study critically examines the limitations of satellite remote sensing (SRS) in capturing the complexities of human–fire interactions. It proposes a relational approach grounded in the embodied, place-based knowledge of communities living with fire. Conventional SRS reduces fire to pixels, providing a synoptic yet partial view of fire regimes. Fire governance shaped by these representations often marginalises local practices, knowledge, and priorities. Drawing on relational theory and critical remote sensing scholarship, we introduce ‘adding lines along pixels’, an approach that reworks the use of SRS through a situated, community-centred perspective. Here, lines denote the dynamic relations among fire, people, landscapes, and institutions, which pixel-based methods overlook. Our case studies in Ethiopia and India used satellite data alongside ethnographic and participatory approaches to explore not only where and when fires occur, but also why they emerge and how they are embedded in seasonal rhythms, livelihood practices and local governance. This approach challenges the prevailing narratives that marginalise local fire use and underscores the need to engage with diverse knowledge systems for more inclusive and effective fire management. As fire governance is reshaped by climate change and digital technologies, such critical engagements are essential for co-producing sustainable fire futures.