Multi-Sensor Satellite Imagery
Retrieve analysis-ready Sentinel-2 L2A (10 m / 20 m) and Landsat 8/9 (30 m) imagery for any coordinate on Earth. Automated atmospheric correction and cloud masking.
Free wildfire burn scar detection platform
Map Wildfire Burn Severity in Seconds
Select any location on Earth. The BurnScar platform retrieves Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8/9 imagery, computes calibrated dNBR burn severity, overlays NASA FIRMS active fire hotspots, and delivers GIS-ready Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs — all free, no login required.
// Platform capabilities
What the Wildfire Burn Scar Map Tool Does
A free wildfire severity map and dNBR calculator online — built for disaster responders, land managers, insurers, and researchers who need accurate burn severity data without GIS expertise.
Calibrated Burn Severity Indices
Compute Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), differenced NBR (dNBR), and Burned Area Index for Sentinel-2 (BAIS2) using USGS-standard band math and severity thresholds.
Active Fire Hotspot Overlay
Visualize near-real-time active fire detections from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS 375 m / MODIS 1 km) directly on your burn severity map. Filter by confidence, date, and sensor.
Standardized Severity Classification
Every pixel is classified into Enhanced Regrowth, Low, Moderate-Low, Moderate-High, or High severity using USGS / FIREMON dNBR break points. Ready for official reporting.
GIS-Ready Downloads
Export burn severity rasters as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs) with embedded CRS, color ramps, and metadata. Open directly in QGIS, ArcGIS, or any GIS.
Any Location, Any Fire
Select any coordinate globally. The platform automatically retrieves the best available pre-fire and post-fire scenes and computes change. No data procurement needed.
// How it works
Check Wildfire Burned Area in Three Steps
- 01
Select a Location
Click any point on the interactive map or enter coordinates. The platform identifies the fire-affected area and finds the optimal satellite scenes.
- 02
Compute Burn Severity
The engine retrieves pre-fire and post-fire imagery, applies atmospheric corrections, and calculates dNBR, BAIS2, and USGS severity classifications automatically.
- 03
Analyze & Export
Inspect severity maps, overlay NASA FIRMS active fire data, compare spectral indices, and download Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs for your GIS workflows.
// Who uses this
Built for Teams That Need Wildfire Intelligence Fast
From NASA FIRMS live fire maps to exportable burn severity index tools — the BurnScar wildfire monitoring dashboard serves organizations that need satellite-derived wildfire evidence without waiting for manual analysis.
Disaster Response
Emergency managers assess wildfire damage within hours of containment. Severity maps guide resource deployment and evacuation planning.
Learn more →Forestry & Land Management
Forest services map burn perimeters, prioritize reforestation zones, and monitor post-fire vegetation recovery across seasons.
Learn more →Insurance & Risk Assessment
Insurers quantify wildfire exposure, validate claims with satellite evidence, and model risk for properties in the wildland-urban interface.
Environmental Research
Researchers study fire ecology, carbon emissions, soil erosion risk, and ecosystem recovery using reproducible, calibrated severity data.
Learn more →// Technical foundation
How the dNBR Calculator Works
The BurnScar platform is a free wildfire burn scar map tool that automates the spectral analysis workflow traditionally performed in desktop GIS. When you select a location, the engine queries the Copernicus Open Access Hub and USGS Earth Explorer for cloud-free Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8/9 scenes captured before and after the fire event.
Burn severity is quantified using the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), calculated as dNBR = NBRpre − NBRpost. For Sentinel-2, NBR uses bands B8 (NIR, 842 nm) and B12 (SWIR, 2190 nm). For Landsat 8/9, it uses bands B5 (NIR) and B7 (SWIR). Positive dNBR values indicate vegetation loss; higher values correspond to greater severity.
Every pixel in the free wildfire severity map is classified using the USGS / FIREMON burn severity standard: Enhanced Regrowth (< −0.1), Unburned (−0.1 to +0.1), Low (0.1–0.27), Moderate-Low (0.27–0.44), Moderate-High (0.44–0.66), and High (>0.66). This burn severity index tool produces the same classification used in official USGS BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) assessments.
Active fire detections from the NASA FIRMS live fire map feed are overlaid in near-real-time, giving users a combined view of ongoing fire activity and post-fire damage. FIRMS ingests thermal anomalies from VIIRS (375 m, ~3 h latency) and MODIS (1 km, ~6 h latency), letting emergency managers check wildfire burned area alongside active fire fronts.
All outputs from this wildfire monitoring dashboard are exportable as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs — the industry standard for interoperable raster data. Whether you need the data in QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine, or a custom pipeline, the dNBR calculator online produces analysis-ready files with embedded spatial reference and severity metadata.
// Frequently asked questions
Common Questions About the BurnScar Platform
- Is the BurnScar Platform free to use?
- Yes. The platform is free for all users — no login, subscription, or credit card required. You can compute burn severity and export GeoTIFFs at no cost.
- What satellites does the platform use?
- The platform ingests Sentinel-2 L2A multispectral imagery (10 m / 20 m resolution) and Landsat 8/9 OLI/TIRS imagery (30 m resolution). NASA FIRMS active fire data comes from VIIRS (375 m) and MODIS (1 km) sensors.
- How is burn severity calculated?
- Burn severity is derived from the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), computed as dNBR = NBR_pre-fire − NBR_post-fire. NBR uses near-infrared and shortwave infrared bands (Sentinel-2 B8/B12 or Landsat B5/B7). Severity is classified using USGS / FIREMON standard dNBR thresholds.
- Can I export the results for use in GIS software?
- Yes. All burn severity outputs can be downloaded as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs) with embedded coordinate reference systems, severity classifications, and color ramps. They open directly in QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine, and any standards-compliant GIS.
- How current is the NASA FIRMS active fire data?
- NASA FIRMS delivers near-real-time active fire detections with a typical latency of 3 to 4 hours for VIIRS and approximately 6 hours for MODIS. The platform overlays the latest available detections on your severity map.
- What is the dNBR and how do I interpret severity thresholds?
- dNBR (differenced Normalized Burn Ratio) ranges from approximately −0.5 to +1.3. USGS classifies severity as: Enhanced Regrowth (< −0.1), Unburned (−0.1 to +0.1), Low (0.1–0.27), Moderate-Low (0.27–0.44), Moderate-High (0.44–0.66), and High (> 0.66). Higher values indicate greater vegetation loss.
- Can I monitor the same area over time for post-fire recovery?
- Yes. Run the analysis on the same coordinates at different dates to track vegetation regrowth. Compare dNBR values across time intervals to measure ecosystem recovery.
- Do I need my own satellite data or subscriptions?
- No. The platform retrieves openly available Sentinel-2 and Landsat imagery from public archives (Copernicus Open Access Hub and USGS Earth Explorer). You only need to specify a location and date range.
Need a Custom Wildfire Monitoring Pipeline?
The free BurnScar platform demonstrates our satellite analytics capabilities. For automated alerting pipelines, custom severity models, enterprise API integration, or large-area monitoring — our consulting team builds production systems tailored to your operational requirements.