The Woolsey Fire was a recent wildfire that had burned in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The fire started on November 8, 2018 at 2:24pm near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory just above the Simi Valley (source). It had burned over 96,949 acres of land damaging structures and forcing evacuations for almost 300,000 people. The cause of this massive fire was due to the Santa Ana winds pushing the fire down south just one the first day. It crossed between San Fernando Valley and the Conejo Valley and then headed towards the Santa Monica Mountains.
Based on different bands, we will find out how can surface water content, vegetation, and elevation can affect the fire. Also, calculate the NBR (normalized burn ratio) for pre fire and post fire, then derive the delta NBR (pre fire NBR – Post Fire NBR) to estimate the fire’s severity. The analysis should improve the evacuation plan, fire hazard prevention, and the reaction plan.
With the use of looking at before and after landscapes of wildfire(s), how are we able to utilize different analysis such as vegetation and various indexes to help predict future/potential wildfires?