A national fuel type mapping method improvement using sentinel-2 satellite data
Alexandra Stefanidou, Ioannis Z. Gitas, Thomas Katagis
Abstract
Despite the fact that wildland fires have always been an integral part of many ecosystems, their increased frequency and intensity have reinforced the need of fire managers for updated and highly accurate information associated with the spatial distribution of forest fuels. In 2015, a fuel type mapping method was developed in the framework of the “National Observatory of Forest Fires (NOFFi)” project resulting in the generation of a national fuel type map. In this study, we aimed at examining the potential of the newly available Sentinel-2 satellite images for the improvement of the NOFFi’s mapping method in terms of accuracy and update effectiveness of the national fuel type map. Results demonstrate Sentinel-2 data will likely improve the resolution and reliability of national fuel type maps, increasing mapping efficiency for operational purposes.