An Application of Satellite Data on Fires for Environmental Inspection of Open Burning
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the distribution of fires and the periods they are prone to occur by using satellite data on fires in Taiwan. In addition, statistics from actual site checks, brightness temperature, and fire radiative power are collected to determine correlations and data reliability. Open burning significantly affects air quality in Taiwan, but the times and places of its occurrence are uncertain, presenting major challenges to the carrying out of inspections by environmental protection units. The Taiwan EPA is using fire-related data from satellite remote sensing technology to develop an inquiry system, provide real-time notification of fires and strengthen the capabilities of non-traditional pollution monitoring. This includes hot zone analysis, monitoring of agricultural waste biomass burning, and irregularities detected in fixed sources of air pollution such as combustion towers, etc.. Statistically, fires and inspections of open burning occur mostly during the spring and in the central and southern regions of Taiwan, with the main reasons being burning of agricultural waste, burning of garbage and tomb-sweeping activities.
Multi-spectral sensors mounted on satellites exploit the strong emission of mid-infrared radiation from fires, allowing assessment of areas with higher surface temperatures, and enabling reasonable calculation of coordinates and brightness temperature values. With current fire analysis tools, in addition to open burning, it is also possible to incorporate into records cases of high brightness caused by factory chimneys, forest fires, building fires, etc., but it is impossible to accurately confirm whether a fire is an open-air burning activity. By analysing the correlations among inspection cases for brightness, fire radiative power and confidence, when there is high brightness temperature or a high confidence index, the accuracy of the inspection also tends to be high. After gaining one year of actual experience, the Taiwan EPA has found that fire data provided by satellite remote sensing along with notifications through the system can truly improve the efficiency of local Environmental Protection Bureau inspections, helping to strengthen control of open burning activities in specific areas, and to achieve the objective of improving local air quality.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.A51M2357H
- Keywords:
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- 0345 Pollution: urban and regional;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTUREDE: 0240 Public health;
- GEOHEALTHDE: 1640 Remote sensing;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCES