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This year, the NAFI hotspot coverage is not as comprehensive as in previous years for a few reasons:
Old Satellites The hotspots that appear on NAFI come from satellites that pass overhead a few times a day,
detecting fires as they go. The Terra satellite (above) which provides the morning hotspots, is the oldest and has degraded. Recently,
its aerial broke, causing delays in fire information, and fewer fires are being detected in the morning. The two other older satellites
have had issues in the last couple of years with the accuracy of their hotspots. Where possible, these erroneous hotspots are removed until the
issues are fixed.
Receiving Station Issues A key satellite dish in Perth, managed by Landgate, is out of order. This dish has been a significant source for
hotspots over WA and the NT. Repairs have taken longer than expected, so no hotspot data has come from this station since early 2024.
Both problems will be resolved, but it may take time. The Perth dish is expected to be fixed by early next year, and a new morning overpass satellite, Eumetsat SGA-1,
will replace Terra late next year. This new satellite should provide better resolution and detect more hotspots in the morning.
These issues are affecting all services that deliver satellite-based hotspot information in Australia. The Terra issue is having a global impact.
What can be done in the meantime?
Check the 10-minute hotspots Use the "Hotspot Options" button on the NAFI map display to view hotspots from the Himawari satellite which tracks fires
throughout the day. It may miss smaller fires and has coarse map locations, but it's worth checking.
Secure a better source of morning hotspots for 2025 The new Eumetsat satellite may not be ready for the 2025 wildfire season, the Chinese Fengyun 3F satellite, however, is
operational and could provide useful morning hotspot data. Once the Perth dish is fixed, Landgate plans to develop a system to generate hotspot data from
Fengyun 3F images. It will be important that these Fengyun 3F hotspots can be generated from images sent to Geoscience Australia's Alice Springs dishes
as this will allow these hotspots to be used across large parts of Australia.
In summary, while current hotspot coverage is affected by satellite and receiving station issues, steps are being taken to improve data availability for the upcoming wildfire season.
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