SIGRI - An integrated system for detecting, monitoring, characterizing forest fires and assessing damage by LEO-GEO data

Forest fires are in the focus of the SIGRI pilot project (Integrated System for Fire Risk Management) funded by the italian Space Agency (ASI). The project, started late in November 2008. It is due for completion by end-2011. The EO part of the project is centred on (1) SAR borne observation in the X, C and the L-bands, from ASI and ESA platforms Cosmo-Skymed and Envisat; (2) on TIR/MIR/SWIR/NIR - and Red, where appropriate - observation by opto-electronic payloads operating at all spatial resolutions from 2006 onwards (SEVIRI,MODIS,HRVIR,HRG,TM, ASTER, LISS-III) and (3) upon SAR very high resolution (Cosmo SkyMed) and V-NIR observation by new commercial or dual-use satellites. The system, of which the appointed user is the Italian Department of Civil Protection (DPC), is expected to deal at once with law enforcement (burn scar mapping), preparedness (risk mapping and urban interface fire contingency planning) and operational issues (fire detection and propagation prediction). It will be demonstrated in three operational theaters (northern Italy - Liguria, southern Italy - Calabria, and the island of Sardinia), all characterized by high frequency of occurrence of fires, but greatly differing in terms of fires style.