- Success Stories
- Satellite Science & Environmental Intelligence
Contributing to the Next Generation Fire System
CSS plays a key role on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atmospheric Sciences and Technology Applications Fire Detection Team, contributing to the development and validation of next generation wildfire detection capabilities. Working alongside subject matter experts and scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, CSS Employee Owners support efforts to evaluate and improve experimental satellite fire detection capabilities within the Next Generation Fire System (NGFS) algorithm.
One of our ongoing efforts focuses on location analysis for NGFS, a system that currently operates at a coarse resolution of 2 kilometers. CSS helps refine this approach by verifying NGFS detections against high‑resolution data from Landsat 8 and 9—down to 30 meters. This work aims to confidently narrow fire locations from a 2 by 2 kilometer footprint to a more precise 1 by 1 kilometer area.
Since GOES satellites provide data every five minutes, enhanced location accuracy can help detect fires at their earliest stages. This supporting faster response and reduces risks to communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure. CSS contributions strengthen NOAA’s ability to deliver timely, actionable fire intelligence to partners and decision‑makers.
This work directly supports NOAA’s mission to help build safe, resilient communities in the face of increasing wildfire impacts.
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Engaging in New and Emergent Satellite Technologies
CSS employee owners (formerly Riverside employees) support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service’s (NESDIS) Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR). STAR is the science arm of NESDIS, which acquires and manages the nation’s environmental satellites for NOAA. Satellite observations are critical to informing situational awareness and…
Fire Detection Support
CSS provides fire detection support to the Atmospheric Science and Technology Applications team with NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services. CSS Surface Characteristics Scientist serves on the Fire Emissions and Fire Detection teams, providing data manipulation, algorithm development, and performance evaluation for the system. This ensures fast and reliable satellite data to stakeholders,…
Assisting Career Growth for Future Coastal Managers
NOAA’s Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship is a two-year fellowship for graduate students that provides an opportunity for them to work side by side with researchers at one of the 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves. The fellowship provides each cohort of fellows with hands-on and cross-disciplinary research experiences, networking opportunities, and professional development and mentoring, helping to prepare them…