On average, 7 million acres of land fall victim to wildfire every year, many of which occur on the western half of the United States.  A new sensor, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), on board the NASA NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, produces active fire detection data that are three times more detailed than previous global satellite fire products, which makes it easier to map and track fire progression.  Incorporating land and weather conditions, the data can also predict roughly 12-18 hours in advance how a fire will shift direction, easing the pressure on fire managers.  GEOG Research Associate Professor, Wilfrid Schroeder, is the head of the team who developed the new fire data applications, along with Janice Coen of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.

On December 1, NASA released a video highlighting the project - view it here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceAtNASA