The occurrence of fires according to different environments: analysis using geographic information systems and statistical applications

Abstract

The Argentine territory suffers the occurrence of fires due to its geographical heterogeneity and this fact is one of the main causes of environmental changes. Natural and anthropogenic variables have influence on this phenomenon. There are currently many satellite products developed for the quantification and representation of fire occurrence. These products integrate technology of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to make global, seasonal and annual hot spots products from MODIS images. The overall aim is to perform a comparative analysis between an area of the Pampas and an area of Parque Chaqueño over a period of five years (2007-2011) in order to assess the probability of fire occurrence according to environmental variables. We present the results for the area of Parque Chaqueño. The methodology is based on the generation of information layers of the areas under study (vegetation, temperature, rainfall, distance to cities, etc.) These layers were interrelated with the hot spots. The hot spots were obtained on the basis of the MOD 14 product provided by the Terra MODIS and AQUA satellite. Statistical techniques based on the General Linear Model were used. The use of GIS, remote sensing and statistical techniques together contribute to systemic analysis.

Revista Ciencias Espaciales, Volumen 8, Número 1 Primavera, 2015; 160-173