Wildfires: An application of remote sensing and OBIA

Abstract

To maintain soil stability and integrity, it is important to distinguish between soil covered by thick vegetation and that made arid and barren by fire, particularly when considering growing climate change. The safeguarding of these territories and the fight against its progressive environmental degradation requires great attention be paid to forest fires, particularly when considering the enormous environmental damage that fires have caused to important and widespread areas of the globe. The purpose of the contribution here is to compare processing techniques of high-resolution remotely sensed data from optical satellites to determine the best method of automatic discrimination of fire areas, thereby allowing the management of burnt areas in the context of subsequent fire risk. These integrated techniques were developed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to get an accurate perimeter, and in general to analyze and manage data, geographic and otherwise, with spatial and geostatistical queries and analyzes. In a such a way that has an immediate reflection in the capability of immediately preparing acts, such as orders, decrees and other provisions, both for the protection of properties and territories and to lay a basis also for the prosecution and repression of crimes.