UNEP/GRID - Sioux Falls

United Nations Environment Programme
Environment for Development

Global Resource Information Database - Sioux Falls

Satellite Images of Environmental Disaster in Southeast Asia

All across South-East Asia, people are struggling to cope with the ecological and health disaster caused by hundreds of forest fires raging in Indonesia.

There is an obvious need for scientifically credible and timely information on the extent of the problem. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through the North American node of its Global Resource Information Database (GRID) located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has assembled available satellite data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Australian Department of Land Administration, Western Australian State Government.

A series of unprocessed satellite images, beginning 4 August, shows the growing spread of the smoke throughout the region's atmosphere. Data from the meteorological satellite has helped locate the raging forest fires and resultant massive smog haze over much of the region. The color images generated from infrared and visible-wavelength data, routinely transmitted by one of the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites, depict the fires in southeastern Borneo with their massive smoke plumes spreading over Indonesia and most of the region. Data from the meteorological satellite has helped locate the raging forest fires and resultant massive smog haze over much of the region. The color images generated from infrared and visible-wavelength data, routinely transmitted by one of the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites, depict the fires in southeastern Borneo with their massive smoke plumes spreading over Indonesia and most of the re gion. Supporting information related to regional land cover, topography, river basin boundaries and population distribution are also available.

[ Data Sets | Discussion Papers | Related WWW Sites ]

Southeast Asia Data Sets

Visit the following sites to obtain further information and images.

AVHRR GAC Images

22 Sept 1997

The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Area Coverage (GAC) image was produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and downloaded from the NOAA Indonesian Fire FTP site . Sharon LeDuc, Environmental Protection Agency, kindly informed us of the location of the NOAA images. NOAA also supports a Satellite Active Archive providing access to their images.

Total Ozone Mapping Spectometer (TOMS)

25 March 1998

The TOMS Site provides global measurements of total column ozone on a daily basis. TOMS Earth Probe can detect smoke from fires and images from Indonesia are presented here.

Integrated Forest Fire Management (IFFM) of Indonesia

16 March 98

The Integrated Forest Fire Management IFFM has the latest fire composite map for Kalimantan, fire reports, wind models, and fire ratings.

DMSP Night Visible Image

30 Sept 1997

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) images are produced at and available from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. This image, downloaded from their WWW site Indonesia Fire products are available with individual orbits of nighttime DMSP OLS data.

USFS Indonesian Fire Maps

Extent of Fires
27 Feb 1998

The US Forest Service has produced a series of detailed maps depicting the extent of many of the numerous fires in Indonesia.

WCMC Indonesian Protected Areas and Fire Maps

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) has compiled information on the natural ecosystems, biodiverstiy, and protected areas impacted by the fires in Indonesia.

Population, Topography, and Land Cover

The elevation and drainage basin databases were produced at the EROS Data Center by USGS, NASA, and UNEP. The land cover data were produced at the EROS Data Center by the Land Cover Characterization Team. The Asian Population data were produced as a cooperative activity between National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and UNEP GRID-Geneva.

Population

Elevation

Shaded Relief

Drainage Basins

Land Cover

ESA ATRS daytime and nighttime images

15, 17 Sept 1997

Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) images are produced at and available from the European Space Agency (ESA) ESRIN . These images, downloaded from their WWW site Earth Watching, are examples of a near infrared and thermal daytime image and a mid infrared and thermal nighttime image. Further information about ESA image products and sensors can be found through Earthnet

AVHRR Preview Images

The AVHRR preview or browse images are received at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (Darwin) and made available through the Department of Land Administration, Remote Sensing Services, Western Australian State Government with assistance kindly provided by Susan Campbell at CSIRO. Images are available for viewing for the following days:

August 1997

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September 1997

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October 1997

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Rivers, Cities & Political Boundaries

The rivers, cities, and political boundaries are from Environmental System Research Institute's ArcWorld 1:3M database.

Discussion Papers

Global Forest Fire Watch: Wildfire Potential, Detection, Monitoring, and Assessment
R.W. Klaver, E.A. Fosnight, and A. Singh

Southeast Asia Related WWW Sites

Visit the following related sites:

• NOAA's Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP).

• Earth Probe TOMS.

• NOAA's NOAA's Significant Event Imagery server.

• Meteorological Service Singapore (Haze)

• SPOT Images of Indonesian Forest Fires

• CEOS - Committee on Earth Observation Satellites

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For more information, please contact:
Dr. Ashbindu Singh, Regional Coordinator,
UNEP Environment Information and Assessment - North America EROS Data Center,
GRID-Sioux Falls, SD 57198, USA.
Tel: +1-605-594-6107/6117, Fax: +1-605-594-6119,
Email: singh@usgs.gov,
http://www.na.unep.net/

Information Note 1997/29
The designations used do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations Environment Programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or of the delineation of its frontiers or boundaries.

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