Remote sensing & GIS integration for monitoring the areas affected by forest fires: A case study in Izmir, Turkey

Abstract

A forest fire is stated as an ecological disaster whether it is man-made or caused naturally. Izmir is one of the regions where forest fires are most intensified in Turkey. The study area located at Aegean region of Turkey suffered two forest fires in 2017; Menderes and Bayindir areas. This study presents the integration of remote sensing (Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 satellite images) and GIS data to map and evaluate the forest burned areas due to both forest fires. For this purpose, different indexes such as Burn Area Index (BAI), Mid Infrared Burn Index (MIRBI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and Normalized Burn Ratio Thermal (NBRT) Burn Index are applied besides different classification algorithms. The results showed that different vegetation types/zones are being affected. Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 data are integrated to the GIS established with fieldwork data to analyse and also validate the results. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data produced from ASTER satellite is also overlaid to the outcomes to emphasize the destructed forest areas. The efficiency of using two different satellites are outlined by comparing the accuracy of forest fire maps produced.