Fire and Smoke Indentification for Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Western Russia

On May 12, 2000, the city of Kyiv was covered with a smoky haze, the source of which was not immediately determinable. ULRMC used its in-house imagery processing techniques using AVHRR images to identify the apparent sources of the smoke - fires in southern Belarus and not within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone as some had hypothesized and rumored. ULRMC worked closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations and Chornobyl Affairs to make the following illustrations available to assure the general public of the true source of the smoke in question.

NOAA from 5/12 morning that shows smoke and fire sources

NOAA from 5/12 evening that shows smoke and fire sources

A sample Illustration

As a result of this event, ULRMC prepared a special decision support tool for the Ukrainian government which will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of identifying and confirming fire situations in Ukraine and its immediate neighbors - Moldova, Belarus and Western Russia. Using Internet Map Server, ULRMC provides a decision-making tool that combines satellite imagery and geographic information systems (GIS) technology. A sample illustration of this work can be seen by clicking here.