Why wasn't this fire detected?

🔍 Quick Diagnosis ✅

1. Is there a satellite overpass yet?

 Wildfire detections are only possible when a satellite has observed the area.

Check

• Has a satellite passed over the fire location?
• Is new data available yet?

➡️ No → Wait for the next acquisition.
➡️ Yes → Continue.

2. Were the observation conditions difficult?

Satellite observations can be affected by:

☁️ Thick cloud cover
🌫️ Dense smoke
⛰️ Complex terrain
🌙 Night/day acquisition differences

➡️ Poor conditions can reduce detection performance.

 3. Was the fire large enough?

Very small or low-intensity fires may not be visible from space.

Detection depends on factors such as:

🔥 Fire intensity (FRP)
📏 Fire size
🌳 Vegetation cover
⏱️ Fire duration

A fire that burns briefly may not coincide with a satellite overpass.

4. Is the location correct?

Double-check:

✅ AOI location
✅ Coordinates
✅ Date & time
✅ Time zone

Sometimes the reported fire location or timing differs from where the satellite observed.

5. Compare with other WFS layers

Use multiple sources together:

🛰️ Hotspots

🖼️ Satellite imagery

🔥 Fire Spread

🟫 Burnt Area (if available)

Each layer provides different information and may update at different times.

🚨 Still no detection?

If you've completed the checks above and still believe a fire should have been detected, contact Support and include:

📍 Coordinates
🕒 Date & time (UTC if possible)
📸 Screenshots
🌲 Estimated fire size
🚒 Any ground confirmation

This helps us investigate much faster.