Where active fires are burning (Aqua, 8-day, 1 km)

In plain English

What it measures. A map flagging where active fires and hot spots are burning, summarized over 8 days, with each grid cell holding the strongest fire detection from that window.

How it's made. Generated from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite at 1-kilometer resolution, compositing daily fire detections into an 8-day picture.

How & where you'd use it. Used to monitor wildfires and burning, track fire seasons, and study fire activity around the world.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTIES › LAND SURFACE TEMPERATUREBIOSPHERE › ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS › FIRE ECOLOGY › FIRE OCCURRENCELAND SURFACE › SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTIESLAND SURFACE › SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTIES › LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE › THERMAL ANOMALIES

Coverage & cadence

Time span2002-07-04 → ongoing
Measured byAqua (MODIS)
Processing levelLevel 3
Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
FormatsHDF-EOS2
StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time

Official description

The Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Thermal Anomalies and Fire 8-Day (MYD14A2) Version 6.1 data are generated at 1 kilometer (km) spatial resolution as a Level 3 product. The MYD14A2 gridded composite contains maximum value of individual fire pixel classes detected during the eight days of acquisition. The Science Dataset (SDS) layers include the fire mask and pixel quality indicators. Known Issues * For complete information about known issues please refer to the [MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website](https://landweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/knownissue?sensor=MODIS&sat=Aqua&as=61).

Get the data

myd14a2_access.py

import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MYD14A2",
    version="061",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from LPCLOUD

Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.

Official links

Earthdata Search allows users to search, discover, visualize, refine, and access NASA Earth Observation data. GET DATA
The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes. GET DATA
The technical information in the User's Guide enables users to interpret and use the data products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
The ATBD provides physical theory and mathematical procedures for the calculations used to produce the data products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
The File Specification provides a description of the product file including Scientific Data Sets and their attributes. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Validation at stage 3 has been achieved for all MODIS Thermal Anomalies and Fire products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MYD14 data product are available from the MODIS land team validation site. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
The LDOPE Land Product Quality Assessment website provides known issues, maneuvers, and product quality of the land products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION