Wildfire, Smoke & Air Quality
Wildfire Card Explained
The Wildfire card summarizes satellite hotspot/fire signals and related map layers. Hotspots are detections, not confirmed fire perimeters or evacuation zones.
Quick read
- Useful for
- Wildfire detections can affect smoke, air quality, roads, power lines, evacuations, and preparedness checks.
- Watch
- hotspot count, source status, confidence, FRP threshold/filter, elevated/all sites, perimeters, and satellite preview.
- Confirm with
- NASA FIRMS and National Interagency Fire Center
- Remember
- Satellites can miss fires through clouds/smoke and can detect industrial heat or old fire footprints. Official fire agencies provide evacuation and perimeter authority.
How to read this card
- Value: hotspot/fire-signal count or an unavailable label from the source-status resolver.
- Context: Hotspots / fire signals means the value is detection context, not official incident count.
- Wildfire minimum: user filter for FRP threshold in settings; raising it hides weaker detections.
- Elevated/all: dashboard severity filters can limit which detections are shown.
Hover card metrics explained
- Hotspots: satellite thermal detections with coordinates and observation time.
- Confidence: provider/source confidence when available; higher confidence is stronger evidence but still not an evacuation instruction.
- FRP: fire radiative power proxy; higher often means stronger heat release.
- Perimeters: supplemental incident boundary/context where available and selected for map display.
- Satellite preview: GOES/Worldview-style imagery context if present.
- Source status: whether current hotspot data loaded, returned empty, or is unavailable.
What can make this status change?
- New satellite passes detect or stop detecting hotspots.
- Cloud cover, smoke, sensor availability, or source errors change detection count.
- User filters such as FRP minimum or severity filter change visible sites.
- Official perimeter datasets update.
Limitations
Satellite detections are not evacuation boundaries, road closures, or confirmed incident perimeters. Always use local fire authorities for safety actions.
Sources and update behavior
The dashboard uses public satellite/fire datasets such as NASA FIRMS and supplemental perimeter/context feeds. Cadence depends on satellite passes, source availability, and cache refreshes.
Visual reference
Wildfire card signal map
Read the signal as one layer in a larger source stack, not as a standalone instruction.
Official/public sources
Use these links to verify current source text, update timing, and agency caveats.
FAQ
Does a hotspot equal an active wildfire?
No. It is a satellite thermal detection that needs context from confidence, FRP, time, perimeters, and official agencies.