Open access to burn severity data: A web-based portal for mainland Portugal

Abstract

With the rising frequency and severity of wildfires that cause significant threats to ecosystems, public health and livelihoods, it is essential to have tools for evaluating and monitoring their impacts and the effectiveness of policy initiatives. This paper presents the development and implementation of a new calculation pipeline integrated with a web-based platform designed to provide georeferenced data on the burn severity of wildfires in mainland Portugal. The platform integrates a modular architecture that comprises a module in R and Google Earth Engine to compute standardized satellite-derived datasets on observed/historical severity for burned areas, integrated with a web portal module to facilitate the access, search, visualization, and downloading of the generated data. The platform provides open-access, multisource data from satellite missions, including MODIS, Landsat-5, -7, and -8, and Sentinel-2. It offers multitemporal burn severity products, covering up to 12 months post-fire, and incorporates three severity indicators, the delta NBR, relative difference NBR, and relativized burn ratio, derived from Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) quarterly median composites. The platform’s modular and scalable framework also allows the integration of more spectral indices, burn severity indicators, and other wildfire perimeter databases. These design features also enable the platform to adapt to other contexts or regions beyond its current scope and regularly update burn severity products. Results from exploratory data analyses revealed the ability of satellite-based severity products to diagnose trends, assess interannual variability, and enable regional comparisons of burn severity, providing a basis for further research. In the face of climate change and societal challenges, the platform aims to support decision-making processes by providing authorities with standardized and updated information while promoting public awareness of wildfire challenges and, ultimately, contributing to the sustainability of rural landscapes.