Fire & Burn Mapping
Identify active fire hotspots, delineate burn perimeters, classify burn severity, and monitor post-fire vegetation recovery. Burn-related indices measure the spectral changes when vegetation is consumed and underlying soil and char are exposed — typically a drop in near-infrared reflectance and a spike in shortwave infrared.
Recommended indices (2)
These indices are most commonly used for fire & burn mapping. Click any index to see the full formula, sensor-specific implementations, and code samples.
Burn severity index for detecting and monitoring fire damage in vegetation. Higher values indicate healthy vegetation, lower values indicate burned areas.
(NIR - SWIR) / (NIR + SWIR)The Burn Area Index (BAI) was developed by Chuvieco et al. (2002) to identify burned areas using the red and NIR spectral bands. BAI emphasizes the charcoal signal in post-fire images by considering the spectral distance from each pixel to a reference spectral point where recently burned areas tend to converge.
1 / ((0.1 - RED)^2 + (0.06 - NIR)^2)Not sure which one fits your project?
Tell our AI assistant about your sensor, your study area, and what you're measuring. It will recommend the right index and generate sensor-specific code.
Other applications
Track plant health, yield prediction, irrigation needs
Map water bodies, floods, wetlands, coastal change
Identify clay, iron oxides, hydrothermal alteration
Built-up area extraction and impervious surfaces
Canopy assessment, deforestation, biomass