Asia Pacific Network for Disaster Mitigation Using Earth Observation Satellite(Andes)(1)- Forest Fire Detection
Taro Shinmura (shinmura@cc.affrc.go.jp)*, Haruo Sawada**, Izumi Nagatani*** (Japan)
*, ** World Forest Monitoring Research Team, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute,
Japan (FFPRI), 1 Matsunosato, Kukizaki, Ibaraki, 305-8687 Japan
*, *** Research and Development Applying Advanced Computational Science and
Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST-ACT)
*** Computer Center of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research
Keywords
disaster mitigation, earth observation satellite, forest fire, real time system, NOAA
Abstract
The High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) data of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)
aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental
Satellites (POES) are received in Japan and Thailand, and these data are transferred in real time to
the computer center of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries research in Tsukuba. Real time fire detecting
system has been processing AVHRR data covering most of East and Southeast Asian countries and detecting
thermal spots since May 2000. Products of this system with Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
(DMSP) fire products shows the locations of thermal spots and they are put on the web site.
In 2000, the number of thermal spot increased explosively in March and July. In Thailand and neighboring
countries, and in Indonesia, the number of thermal spots reached maximum in March and July, respectively.
It is because March and July is in dry season severally. Time-series analysis shows that almost
all thermal spots disappeared within a day in and around Thailand, and each cluster of the spots
consisted less than ten. But in Indonesia, thermal spots sometimes appeared several days in same
position and clusters of such spots consisted more than ten. The former pattern shows the thermal
spots are controlled fire, and the latter one is potentially uncontrollable or wild fire.
1. Introduction
Severe natural disasters are often cause by global climate changes and they are becoming worse, and
damage of human activities is increasing. Flooding, drought and big forest fire are the main natural
disasters in East and East Asian countries. Therefore, It is strongly required to establish systems
for mitigating these natural disasters. ANDES project supported by ACT-JST and started since
1998 aims to develop the operational systems for mitigating the disasters. In this paper, as parts
of this project, Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM) real time system and real time fire detecting
system using NOAA/AVHRR data and DMSP/OLS data and its products are introduced, and analysis of fire
products are discussed.
2. Andes Project
ANDES project (
http://www.affrc.go.jp/ANDES/) is an international project on research
and development applying advanced computational science and technology, cooperative project of Forestry
and Forest Products Research Institute, National Institute of Agricultural Environment Study,
Meteorological Research Institute, Computer Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research,
National Space Development Agency and Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST). The objective
of this project is to detect and inform disasters in Asia-Pacific region as soon as possible by using
satellite data and high-capacity network systems. The following four study themes are executed.
- to develop a real time archiving and delivering system of satellite data.
- to detect fire and create fire risk map for forest fire mitigation.
- to detect flood and create drought risk map for agricultural disaster mitigation.
- to evaluate the data of TRMM for heavy rain disaster mitigation.
The main satellite data used for this project are NOAA/AVHRR and GMS for forest fire and agricultural
disaster, DMSP/OLS for forest fire and TRMM for heavy rain. High-resolution satellite data are also used
for observing the situation of the study area according to the necessity. The NOAA/AVHRR data are
received in Japan and Thailand and these data are transferred in real time to the computer center of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries research in Tsukuba. The DMSP/OLS data and TRMM data are also
transferred to the center from USA through the network. These data are processed and archived in the
Satellite Image Database (SIDaB) system (
http://rms1.agsearch.agropedia.affrc.go.jp/menu_en.html),
which is managed by the computer center. As for the NOAA/AVHRR, the nighttime data are used for
detecting the hot spot and the daytime data are used for monitoring vegetation condition in global
scale. The SIDaB system automatically generates both the weekly composite images and the ten-days'
composite image of East Asia region. From the ten-days' composite image, we analyze the vegetation
condition and create the terrain images for being used with other disaster products as the base image.
The data of global geographic information in Asia Pacific area, such as the Digital Chart of the
World (DCW), the global Digital Elevation Model (DEM: 30 arc second), the FAO digital soil maps and
meteorological data are also used for producing disaster maps and risk maps. This project aims to
develop the operational systems for mitigating the disasters. Therefore, the project has close
relations with related institutions in other countries, especially with governmental disaster
management units and network specialties.
3. Andes Trmm real Time System
TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA)
of Japan designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall and the associated release of energy
that helps to power the global atmospheric circulation shaping both weather and climate around the
globe. Observatory carries five instruments. It includes the first space-borne Precipitation Radar
(PR), the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), a Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS), a Cloud and Earth
Radiant Energy System (CERES), and a Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS).
SIDaB system has been receiving real time PR and TMI data from Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)/NASA
since Oct 1999 using highly advanced network link. This link mainly consists of Asia-Pacific
Advanced Network (APAN) nodes (NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN) => TransPAC =>
Inter-Ministry Research Information network (IM-net) => Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Information Network (MAFFIN)).
This system processes heavy rain images (using TRMM Science Data and Information System TSDIS Orbit
Viewer) and images are renewed in every thirty minutes (
http://betleh.cc.affrc.go.jp/~shinmura/trmm/).
SIDaB system archives heavy rain images and past images can be easily referred. Figure 1, a) and b) show
precipitation images produced by this system. Precipitation on the sea is difficult to be measured by
ground radar, but TRMM measures precipitation for both land and sea area in higher resolution (4km) as
Figure 1, c). Such information will help weather forecasting and mitigation of torrents on
the sea and island, and in the area without highly advanced meteorological equipments
Figure 1. Precipitation images on 12 Sep. 2000 showed on ANDES real time TRMM web page. Blue zone shows swath of PR.
(a) Torrents attached Tokai district, central Japan, 11-12 Sep. 2000. 9 people were killed and 20,000 people were evacuated by flood.
(b) Magnified image.
(c) Typhoon 14th which activated torrents in Tokai district.
