Remote optical observation of biomass burning: A feasibility and experimental case study with the SIM.GA hyperspectral system

Abstract

In this article, the feasibility of detecting fire fronts from biomass burning, using the HYPER/SIM.GA system (Galileo Avionica Multisensor Hyperspectral System), has been tested. This system includes two hyperspectral optical heads, in the Visible and near-infrared (VNIR) and Short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands, providing complete spectral coverage from the visible (0.4 μm) to the thermal infrared (24 μm) bands.

We revised the strategies to detect the fire front from hyperspectral data. We found that the radiance emitted by potassium atoms (K) at 766.5 and 769.9 nm, electronically excited during biomass burning, can be usefully exploited to detect the fire front. A study has been made, in order to verify the sensitivity of this feature to biomass composition, fire temperature and visibility. A typical scenario, in which a wildland fire takes place, has been simulated. Simulated data have been compared with real data, confirming the feasibility of this approach to detect the fire front.

This approach is advantageous, both from the economic and operative viewpoints, with respect to classical remote sensing for fire detection, usually based on the Planck emission at thermal bands.

Acknowledgements

Authors wish to acknowledge the support of Fabrizio Aversa, Antonio Bartoloni and Paolo Colandrea at Kell (Rome), and Michele Dami and Demetrio Labate at Galileo Avionica (Florence). This article is dedicated to Fabrizio Aversa, who recently passed away.