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Copernicus Browser Adds Dedicated Wildfire Visualization Layer for Sentinel-2 Imagery
Key points
- Copernicus Browser launched a new "wildfires" visualization layer on August 4.
- The layer uses Sentinel-2 imagery to show active fires, burning vegetation, and burned areas.
- The visualization is based on a JavaScript script by remote sensing expert Pierre Markuse.
- It combines red, narrow near-infrared, and short-wave infrared 2 bands for analysis.
New Wildfire Visualization Layer Introduced
The Copernicus Browser, which provides free access to satellite imagery from the European Space Agency's Sentinel satellites, has integrated a new "wildfires" visualization layer. This feature, activated on August 4, simplifies the process of identifying and tracking wildfires using Sentinel-2 imagery.
Enhanced Wildfire Tracking Capabilities
Users can now select the "wildfires" layer to view active fires in white or yellow, burning vegetation in red, and burned landscapes in dark brown or black. This direct visualization aims to make wildfire monitoring more accessible to a broader audience.
Technical Basis of the Visualization
The new visualization layer is derived from a JavaScript script developed by remote sensing expert Pierre Markuse. The script processes Sentinel-2's multi-spectral data by combining the red visible light band, a narrow near-infrared band to differentiate healthy and burned vegetation, and the short-wave infrared 2 band to indicate soil moisture levels in burned areas.
Sentinel-2's Role in Monitoring
The Sentinel-2 mission's three satellites provide multi-spectral imaging with resolutions up to 10 meters in visible light and near-infrared bands. These capabilities are particularly useful for wildfire monitoring, and the Copernicus Browser previously offered 10 default visualization layers using various spectral band combinations.
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Reporting from
The Copernicus Browser, Europe's free satellite imagery service, added a new "wildfires" visualization layer for Sentinel-2 imagery on August 4. This update allows users to more easily identify active fires, burning vegetation, and burned landscapes, improving wildfire tracking capabilities for the public.