NASA FIRMS active fires

NASA satellite detections of active fires worldwide, within hours of each overpass, free with no key.

Self-serve API, no key, irlpls adapter · docs

Mode
Live · hours
Coverage
Global
Price
Free
Key
Not needed
Resale
Not stated
AI training
Not stated

Eight links

0 of 8 links claimed · 0 evidenced

Compiled from public sources, unclaimed. What they mean

Each link
  1. 1. Real personNot stated

    Person · Not stated

    Still open: Detections are made by algorithms on satellite data, not by people

  2. 2. Captured locallyNot stated

    Camera · Not stated

    Still open: Not a signed capture, so none (STANDARD §3). What is stated: Each detection names the satellite and instrument (MODIS, VIIRS, Landsat). Sensor identity is operator-asserted metadata

    Place · Claimed. Each detection carries the latitude and longitude of the centre of the satellite pixel where the fire was seen (about 375 m for VIIRS, 1 km for MODIS, 30 m for Landsat), with scan/track pixel dimensions

    Still open: The fire can be anywhere within the pixel, and pixels grow towards the swath edge; NRT geolocation error is usually under 100 m but can be several kilometres after spacecraft manoeuvres or space-weather events

    Needs both: the weaker one counts.

  3. 3. Genuine deviceNot stated

    App · Not stated

    Still open: No signing or published hashes of delivered files

  4. 4. Sealed captureNot stated

    Camera · Not stated

    Still open: Not a signed capture, so none (STANDARD §3). What is stated: Each detection names the satellite and instrument (MODIS, VIIRS, Landsat). Sensor identity is operator-asserted metadata

    Content · Claimed. Detections carry a confidence value; the FAQ says VIIRS data 'have been extensively tested', MODIS validation used coincident ASTER observations, and Landsat validation used aerial, commercial satellite, MODIS and VIIRS data

    Still open: False detections are known (e.g. super-heated smoke plumes at night, sun glint on reflective roofs, degraded data after spacecraft manoeuvres); per-detection error rates are not published

    Counts only with a stated signing mechanism (C2PA, a manifest).

  5. 5. Known timestampReported

    Time · Claimed. Each detection carries the acquisition date and time (UTC) of the overpass

    Still open: How timestamps are validated is not documented in pages read

    A time stated, not attested (RFC 3161, a log): Reported.

  6. 6. Tracked in transitNot stated

    Custody record (optional field) · Not stated

  7. 7. Independently verifiedNot stated

    Cross-check · Not stated

    Still open: Each detection stands alone; a buyer can compare across sensors (VIIRS vs MODIS) themselves

  8. 8. Delivered to youNot stated

    Delivery receipt (optional field) · Not stated

API

No account or key needed.

base
https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
auth
Optional: Account credentials
access
Self-serve
adapter
nasa_firms
  • GET /api/area/csv/{MAP_KEY}/{SOURCE}/{AREA_COORDINATES}/{DAY_RANGE}
  • GET /data/active_fire/{product}/csv/{PREFIX}_{Region}_{24h|48h|7d}.csv
  • GET /api/active_fire_files/all?format=json
  • GET /api/data_availability/csv/{MAP_KEY}/{SENSOR}

Rate limit. 5,000 requests per 600 s, per key. Transactions per MAP_KEY per 10 minutes; a large request (several days) can count as several transactions. source

Sources

15 sources
  1. Earthdata alert (issued 2025-05-02, read 2026-10-28): Suomi NPP delivery ceases Nov. 2, 2026; Terra and Aqua platforms begin shutting down operations in late 2026/early 2027 www.earthdata.nasa.gov
  2. Area API URL pattern and optional DATE suffix; SOURCE list (LANDSAT_NRT US/Canada only, MODIS_NRT, VIIRS_SNPP/NOAA20/NOAA21_NRT, *_SP); DAY_RANGE 1-5; free MAP_KEY; 5000 transactions per 10 minutes; URT under 60 seconds for much of the US and Canada; RT/URT replaced by NRT or dropped after 6 hours; 'download script' use firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  3. API services index (area, data_availability, map_key, kml_fire_footprints; country API currently not available) firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  4. MAP_KEY is free, requested with an email address and sent by email firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  5. data_availability endpoint and SENSOR list firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  6. NRT within 3 hours (best effort), RT within 30 minutes, URT within 5 minutes (elsewhere 'within a minute') for US/Canada; Landsat 30-60 mins US/Canada; pixel sizes 375 m / 1 km / 30 m; location is pixel centre; NRT geolocation error and manoeuvres; 24h/48h/7d files updated every 60 minutes; VIIRS extensively tested; MODIS ASTER validation; Landsat validation; known false detections; cite 'NASA FIRMS'; full and open sharing www.earthdata.nasa.gov
  7. Suomi NPP data delivery ceases Nov. 2, 2026; users should move to NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  8. LANCE: full and open sharing; data provided 'as is', users bear all responsibility and liability www.earthdata.nasa.gov
  9. ESDIS data-use guidance: NASA-led mission data CC0 unless marked; non-NASA data follow the sponsor's licence; acknowledge NASA; no implied endorsement www.earthdata.nasa.gov
  10. Keyless list of downloadable 24h/48h/7d CSV, KML and shapefile files per sensor and region firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  11. Keyless global 24h VIIRS NOAA-20 CSV returned real detections (fetched 2026-10-26, latest acquisition 2026-10-27 02:06 UTC) firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  12. Calling the area API with an invalid key returns HTTP 400 'Invalid MAP_KEY.' (tested 2026-10-26) firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  13. No first-party FIRMS MCP server in the official registry; a third-party Pipeworx server io.github.pipeworx-io/nasa-firms is listed registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
  14. Area API: MAP_KEY required, 5000 transactions per 10-minute interval; bad key returns 'Invalid MAP_KEY.' HTTP 400 firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
  15. Keyless static file returned CSV on 2026-10-27 firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov
Notes

About. NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) publishes active fire and thermal hotspot detections from the MODIS, VIIRS and Landsat satellite sensors, globally within about 3 hours of an overpass and faster (real-time / ultra real-time) over the US and Canada. Global and regional CSV, KML and shapefile files of the last 24 hours, 48 hours and 7 days download with no key; a free MAP_KEY unlocks an area API returning CSV detections for any bounding box over 1-5 days.

Price. Free. The 24h/48h/7d files need no key; the area API needs a free MAP_KEY requested with an email address.

Coverage. Worldwide for MODIS and VIIRS; Landsat and the faster real-time products cover the US and Canada only. Cloud and smoke can hide fires; small or short fires between overpasses can be missed.

Timing. FIRMS FAQ: 'FIRMS makes the NRT data available within 3 hours of a satellite observation (on a best-effort basis); the RT data are available within 30 minutes of overpass and the URT within 5 minutes.' (US and Canada for RT/URT)

Licence. No FIRMS-specific licence. NASA ESDIS data-use guidance: data from NASA-led missions are CC0 unless marked otherwise, while non-NASA data follow their sponsor's licence; NASA asks to be acknowledged ('NASA FIRMS') and must not be implied to endorse a product. LANCE data are provided 'as is'. AI training and resale are not mentioned. Landsat is USGS-operated, so CC0 is not clearly stated for the Landsat NRT layer.

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Compiled from public sources · updated 2026-10-28JSONSiteCompare