Active fires from the Suomi NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite: Product status and first evaluation results

Abstract The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the Suomi National Polar‐orbiting Partnership (S‐NPP) satellite incorporates fire‐sensitive channels, including a dual‐gain high‐saturation temperature 4 µm channel, enabling active fire detection and characterization. The active fire product, based on the 750 m moderate resolution “M” bands of VIIRS, is one of the standard operational products generated by the Interface Data Processing Segment of the S‐NPP ground system. The product builds on an earlier “Collection 4” version of the algorithm used for processing Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Following postlaunch quality assessments and corrections in the input VIIRS Sensor Data Record data processing, an initial low detection bias was removed and the product achieved Beta quality in April 2012. Daily spurious detections along‐scan lines were also significantly reduced as a result of further processing improvements in October 2012. Direct product comparison with MODIS over 4 months of data in 2013 has shown that VIIRS produces approximately 26% more detections than MODIS within the central 3 pixel VIIRS aggregation zone of approximately ±31° scan angle range and 70% more detections outside of that zone, mainly as a result of the superior VIIRS scanning and sampling characteristics. Further development is in progress to ensure high‐quality VIIRS fire products that continue the MODIS data record and better serve the user community by delivering a full image classification product and fire radiative power retrievals. Research is also underway to take advantage of the radiometric signal from the 375 m VIIRS imager “I” bands.