Project Team: California Disasters Team
Team Location: NASA Stennis Space Center, Stennis, Mississippi
Simulated HyspIRI derived NDSWIR (color) over a Landsat 8-derived NDSWIR for the 2013 California Rim Fire. Both images are from early November 2013. Image Credit: California Disasters Team.
Authors:
Timothy Sutherlin, Project Lead (University of Southern Mississippi)
Eric Mack (University of Southern Mississippi)
Heather Nicholson (University of Southern Mississippi)
Caitlin Ruby (University of Southern Mississippi)
Luke Wylie (University of Southern Mississippi)
Mentors/Advisors:
Joseph Spruce (NASA Stennis Space Center)
James ÛÏDocÛ Smoot (NASA Stennis Space Center)
Abstract:
Currently, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has remote sensing application programs in place to rapidly map and characterize vegetation and soil impacts due to major wildfires (e.g., the Burned Area Reflectance Classification [BARC] and the Rapid Assessment of VegetationåÊCondition [RAVG]). These programs use Landsat-based burn severity indices to generate needed change products, including the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and theåÊRelative differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (RdNBR). When the Hyperspectral Infrared ImageråÊHyspIRI) is launched, its hyperspectral reflectance and multispectral thermal data will enable new tools for assessing natural disaster impacts to ecosystems, such as wildfire damage to forests. This project assessed the potential of HyspIRI data for calculating comparable and complementary several burn severity products (i.e., dNBR), using simulated HyspIRI data gathered over central California in 2013. Results suggest HyspIRI can produce post-fire vegetation burn severity maps similar to those currently being produced by the USFS with Landsat. This study also assessed HyspIRI’s hyperspectral and thermal capabilities for generating alternative burn severity products that may enhance and augment needed information obtained from current BARC and RAVG products.