MODIS Direct Readout

In 2000 and 2006, RedCastle Resources (RCR) staff worked with the USDA Forest Service to develop contract specifications, procure and construct a 3.1-meter, and subsequently a 2.4-meter, X-band tracking antenna at the US Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) in Salt Lake City, Utah.  RCR staff have worked closely with the Forest Service to develop a set of specifications for the antenna, antenna installation, and operation.  During the construction phase of the project, RCR provided day-to-day coordination with the antenna vendor to perform site surveys, coordinated subcontractors for the antenna installation and assisted with the installation of the antenna at RSAC.  RCR staff is currently responsible for the operation and maintenance of the MODIS antenna.  This includes managing a maintenance contract with the antenna manufacturer, making improvements to the data processing system and managing RSAC’s local MODIS data archive.

The MODIS Active Fire Mapping web site provides information on current large fires, active fire maps, and fire imagery as seen by the MODIS instrument on board NASA's EOS satellites Terra and Aqua. The active fire maps website (http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us) is the culmination of a multi-faceted automated process to publish national fire information 3-4 times daily and provide geographic data for internet distribution.  This website and data processing stream was developed by RCR technical staff in collaboration with and under contract to the US Forest Service.  The automation process starts with data collected with the RSAC MODIS ground station and NASA Goddard, and includes active fire detection, image projection and subsetting, and distribution on the internet.  RCR staff have been co-authors on numerous scientific papers regarding the development and implementation of the Active Fire Map programs and regularly brief Forest Service personnel on the systems capabilities.