Fire Information for Resource Management System US / Canada

FIRMS US/Canada is a joint effort by NASA and the USDA Forest Service to provide access to low latency satellite imagery and science data products from Earth Observation System (EOS) satellite assets to identify the location, extent and intensity of wildfire activity and its effects.

FIRMS US/Canada tools and applications provide geospatial data, products and services to support strategic fire management needs of US and Canadian agencies and inform the general public.

FIRMS US/Canada is enabled by data and applications provided by NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), including NASA’s Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EO (LANCE), as well as data from the direct readout community and technologies facilitated by the NASA Direct Readout Laboratory.

About the United States Forest Service

The USFS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for overseeing 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands for an impressive total of 193 million acres. The history of federal forest management goes back as far as 1876, when Congress recognized the need for oversight of the quality and conditions of forests throughout the country, creating the office of Special Agent in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This foresight has evolved into our modern day United States Forest Service whose mission continues to be firmly rooted in sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

The USFS stewardship work “supports nature in sustaining life” and the heart and focus of the agency’s efforts include: