Print Email Facebook Twitter Remote sensing evaluation of fire hazard: Towards operational tools for improving the security of citizens and protecting the environment Title Remote sensing evaluation of fire hazard: Towards operational tools for improving the security of citizens and protecting the environment Author Maffei, C. Gambardella, C. Menenti, M. Faculty Civil Engineering and Geosciences Department Geoscience and Engineering Date 2015-12-31 Abstract Forest fires are a threat for both the environment and the security of citizens. This is particularly relevant in the Mediterranean, where the population density is high, and long dry summers drive vegetation into fireprone conditions. Policy makers underline the key role of prevention over damage reparation, and indeed efforts are conducted at regional, national and international level to develop tools supporting fire managers’ activities. The preventive allocation of intervention resources is based on fire hazard maps; these should be updated frequently throughout the fire season. In this framework satellite remote sensing can play a key role, providing daily measurements in the optical domain for the determination of vegetation water content, a key parameter for the prediction of fire hazard. This paper outlines current practices adopted in Mediterranean Europe, analyses how earth observation data are used, and underlines areas of improvement. Strengths and weaknesses of algorithms for the retrieval of vegetation water content are discussed. Examples are provided with the production of remote sensing maps of vegetation moisture in three different areas of the Mediterranean: Campania (Italy), Tuscany (Italy) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (France). Finally, a brief review describes current and forthcoming Earth Observation missions with the potential to support fire prevention activities. Subject fire danger rating systemsMediterraneanMODISPerpendicular Moisture IndexCopernicus Sentinels program To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ae08e543-d9f5-4cc4-8c18-6e9916f5788a Publisher La Scuola di Pitagora ISBN 978-88-6542-416-2 Source Proceedings of the 13th forum Internazionale di studi: Heritage and Technology Mind Knowledge Experience: Le vie dei mercanti, Napoli (Italy), 11-13 Giugno, 2015 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type conference paper Rights (c)2015 The Authors Files PDF 324733.pdf 1.92 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:ae08e543-d9f5-4cc4-8c18-6e9916f5788a/datastream/OBJ/view