NOTE! If you are told to evacuate, then GO! Do not rely on this map as an excuse to ignore an order to evacuate.

This map displays authoritative data from GIS (Geographical Information System) servers operated by government agencies. Each time you open the map the most recent data that is hosted on government servers will be displayed on your screen.

Be patient. The data that the map displays comes from several GIS servers. Sometimes it may take a few seconds for data to appear on the map. It all depends on how much other work the servers are trying to do at the same time.

Everyone is welcome to share and repost this map link. There is no need to ask first. Please follow these simple rules:

1. Encourage your readers to click the "Map Tips" link in the upper left corner so they can learn how to get the most benefit from the map.

2. Include in your post a credit thanking https://mappingsupport.com.

3. If you are news media or a government agency, please use the 'Contact' link near the top of this page to send me a link to where you are using the map. I enjoy knowing where the map is being used.

4. Unless you are news media, do not use this map link for any commercial purpose.

Tip - If you embed this map on a webpage then it is a 'best practice' to include a link above/below the map titled something like "Open map full screen".

Open the map:
https://mappingsupport.com/p2/gissurfer.php?center=54.649353,-118.803626&zoom=5&basemap=Canada_vector_topo&overlay=VIIRS_24_hours,MODIS_24_hours,AB_Fire_perimeter_red,AB_Fire_perimeter_black&txtfile=https://mappingsupport.com/p2/special_maps/disaster/Canada_wildland_fire.txt

Open the map short link: https://bit.ly/2wtoMPI


The map is displayed by GISsurfer which is a browser map I am developing that is based on the free open-source Leaflet API (Application Program Interface). One of the big-impact features of GISsurfer is the ability to display data that is hosted on GIS (Geographical Information System) servers. Government agencies at all levels operate GIS servers. This map lets you turn various GIS overlay layers on/off and restack them. You can click on most GIS overlays and see all the attribute data the GIS server has for the thing that you clicked. If the attribute data includes a link, then you can click it for even more information.

GISsurfer will display either a touch-friendly interface or a mouse-oriented interface depending on the type of device you use to open a map.

As I add features to GISsurfer updates will be posted on the MappingSupport twitter feed and the GISsurfer Facebook page.


The map legend has moved to its own web page.
Map legend


The Menu button provides access to a list of actions.

To make your own custom map link:
1. Make the map look on your screen the way you want it to look when the map opens.
2. Click Menu ==> Link to this map. The link you see will replicate the map on your screen.

To get code to embed the map, click Menu ==> Embed this map
To search, click Menu ==> Search

To turn on geolocation, click Menu ==> My location

To change the coordinate format, click Menu ==> UTM - USNG/MGRS - LatLng


The basemap button is next to the "Menu" button and always displays the name of the current basemap. If you click the basemap button then you can change the basemap and also turn the overlays on/off. Mobile uses will need to tap the basemap button and then scroll down to the "Overlays" section.

An overlay with a number in front is 'on'. If you click that overlay again it will turn off.

The first 5 overlays are built-in to GISsurfer and display data for the USA.

An overlay name that starts with AB is only for Alberta. An overlay name that starts with CA is for all of Canada.

As you change basemaps and turn overlays on/off, remember that it may take a few seconds (or longer) for the data to appear on your screen. The response time varies based on how busy the server is that is hosting that data. The bandwidth and congestion of your internet connection is also a factor.


If (1) one or more GIS overlays are 'on' and (2) you click on a feature in the top overlay, then you will see a display with all the attribute data the GIS server has for the thing that you clicked. This can be extremely useful, particularly when the attribute data includes a link that leads to more information.

Only the top overlay is clickable. Click the basemap button so you see the list of overlays. Any overlays that are 'on' have a number in front. The highest numbered overlay is 'on top' of the stack and is clickable.

Although most overlays have attribute data a few do not. For example, the built-in USA weather radar overlay does not have useful attribute data.


The map does not display evacuation information.


About the data


The map can display two GIS overlay layers of hotspot data that are sensed by satellites. There are a total of 4 to 6 satellite passes each 24 hours. (I am working on pinning down that number.) The older system is MODIS and the newer system is VIIRS. The "Legend" button above tells you what kind of symbol is used for each system.

The satellite hotspot data is hosted on a WMS server operated by the NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System). NASA's goal is to upload the newest data to the server within three hours of when the satellite collected the data.

Here is the NASA FAQ.

The satellite hotspot data is also hosted on the GeoMAC ArcGIS server. It is relatively easy for map software to display data from this type of server. However, the GeoMAC server is downstream in the data flow and its hotspot data often lags behind the hotspot data on the NASA server.

Please keep the following important points in mind so you do not misinterpret the hotspot data.

1. The hotspot locations shown on the map are not exact! The actual hotspot on the ground might be some distance from the symbol. See more information under the MODIS and VIIRS buttons below.

2. There can be ‘false positives’. Sometimes a hit will be made on a hot smoke plume with a lot of suspended organic material. The plume might have blown some distance from the actual fire. Here is a NASA webpage that explains why sometimes there are false positive hotspots.

3. The satellites will never see some areas that actually burned. A small fire that is smoldering and sending up lots of smoke but not burning very hot, might not be detected by the satellites. Heavy smoke might prevent the satellites from detecting areas that are burning. An area that is mainly grass might burn quickly and then cool below the detection threshold before the next satellite pass.

There are various websites where you can track satellites.
MODIS Terra passes overhead in the morning. Look for the its descending orbit track.
MODIS Aqua and SNPP VIIRS (aka Suomi) both pass overhead in the afternoon. Look for the their ascending orbit tracks.

One satellite tracking website is http://www.n2yo.com/.
To find the two MODIS satellites search on Terra or Aqua.
To find the satellite with the VIIRS sensor, search on Suomi.

And here is a customized link for the NASA Worldview site for satellite tracking.
https://go.nasa.gov/2JEjllR.


There are two MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellites called Aqua and Terra. Each MODIS ‘hit’ represents a one square kilometer (1km =~0.6mi) box that contain one or more fire locations. Actual fire can be anywhere inside that box. In other words, when you see a MODIS symbol on the map the actual spot detected might easily be more than a quarter mile in any direction.

Note that the map has a scale symbol in the lower right corner.

Here are links where you can read more about the MODIS data.

NASA
https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/

University of Maryland
http://modis-fire.umd.edu/index.php


VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) refers to a sensor that is onboard the Suomi-NPP (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite.

Each VIIRS symbol on the map represents the center of a box that is 375 meters x 375 meters. (375 meters =~ 0.23 miles) The actual detected hotspot(s) might be anywhere inside that box.

NASA says "[t]he 3,040 km VIIRS swath enables ~15% image overlap between consecutive orbits at the equator, thereby providing full global coverage every 12 hours and mid-latitudes will experience 3-4 looks a day."

Here are some links with more information about the VIIRS satellite.

NASA
https://jointmission.gsfc.nasa.gov/viirs.html

University of Maryland
http://viirsfire.geog.umd.edu/pages/viirsvsmodis.php


Extras


FindMeSAR

In any kind of emergency you might need to tell someone your location. FindMeSAR runs offline in your browser and does one thing really well. It uses the GPS chip in your smartphone or tablet and displays coordinates for your location and an accuracy value for those coordinates.

The following link will (1) open FindMeSAR and (2) save the code [about 100KB] on your device in a special area of memory. Your browser needs to be online the first time you open FindMeSAR but after that this browser app will work offline.

https://findmesar.com/

There are four colored coded screens that each display a different coordinate format.

To easily run FindMeSAR in the future you can save a bookmark in your browser. The app also includes an icon you can save on your screen.

This browser app will only run offline in the same browser (Safari, Chrome, etc) where you opened the app while you were online. Think of the app as being installed in the browser where you initially opened the app. If you want the app to be installed in more than one browser then you need to open the app in each browser while your device is online.

For more information about this browser app please open the app and then tap the button "Tips FindMeSAR".