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FIRMS has recently incorporated a suite of additional capabilities into the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) dropdown menu of the FIRMS interactive map. In addition to the 30-meter resolution true-color, accessed via NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services, and false-color reflectance images already available, FIRMS has now included four vegetation indices (VIs) that can help assess burned area and post-fire dynamics, as well as help inform restoration management plans. The four VIs include the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), and the Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (NBR2).  

FIRMS also now offers users the ability to create their own red, green, blue (RGB) image composites for both Sentinel and Landsat by assigning bands to each RGB channel to create a customized color-composite image. This functionality, as well as the VIs, are available in FIRMS through the TiTiler-CMR service produced by the Data Systems Evolution team in the Office of Data Science and Informatics (ODSI) at Marshall Space Flight Center. The imagery is generated dynamically, so it may take a little bit longer to display than the other layers. 

The options listed below are available in the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery dropdown menu, which is accessible from both the Advanced Mode and Burned Area mode of FIRMS Global and FIRMS US/Canada for each satellite group (Landsat 8 and 9 and Sentinel-2A, 2B, and 2C). Additionally, the "Customize HLS Bands" option allows the user to assign their selected band to each RGB channel. 

  • Adjusted Reflectance BRDF (true color): 
    • Bands B2, B3, B4 (Sentinel-2) 
    • Bands B2, B3, B4 (Landsat 8/9) 
  • Adjusted Reflectance BRDF (false color-vegetation): 
    • Bands B12, B8a, B4 (Sentinel-2) 
    • Bands B7, B5, B4 (Landsat) 
  • Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI): 
    • Bands (B8 – B4) / (B8 + B4) (Sentinel-2) 
    • Bands (B5 – B4) / (B5 + B4) (Landsat) 
  • Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI): 
    • Bands (B8A – B11) / (B8A + B11) (Sentinel-2) 
    • Bands (B5 – B6) / (B5 + B6) (Landsat) 
  • Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) 
    • Bands (B8A – B12) / (B8A + B12) (Sentinel-2) 
    • Bands (B5 – B7) / (B5 + B7) (Landsat) 
  • Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (NBR2) 
    • Bands (B11 – B12) / (B11 + B12) (Sentinel-2) 
    • Bands (B6 – B7) / (B6 + B7) (Landsat) 

Follow the instructions below to start creating your own composites: 

1. Load FIRMS Global or FIRMS US/Canada. This is the "Advanced Mode" of FIRMS. (The HLS dropdown menu is also available in the "Burned Area Mode.")

2. Click on the "+” next to Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 Imagery in the menu on the right.

The FIRMS portal now includes a menu for HLS true- and false-color imagery to accompany fire datasets.

3. Click on Adjusted Reflectance BRDF (true color) layer and select a date about 2 to 4 days before the current date. This layer should load quickly and give you an overview of where the HLS Sentinel and HLS Landsat imagery has been acquired across the globe for the specific date. This true-color image uses a band combination that is similar to what the human eye would see. Additional information is available for Sentinel-2 HLS true-color imagery and Landsat HLS true-color imagery. 

4. Toggle off the Landsat button to view only the HLS Sentinel imagery; toggle off the Sentinel button to view only HLS Landsat imagery.

Toggle layers in the FIRMS dashboard to switch between either Landsat or Sentinel views.

5. Toggle on the Adjusted Reflectance BRDF (false color – vegetation) layer. Note that all of the layers in the HLS Imagery dropdown, apart from the true-color layer, will show "Zoom Level Not Supported – Zoom In (+)" until you have zoomed in sufficiently for the layer to load. This is because each layer is dynamically generated on-demand using the TiTiler-CMR. However, sets of translucent blue and green boxes will appear on the map indicating areas where imagery is available on a specific day. 

The FIRMS dashboard shows blue and green tiles to indicate where HLS has captured scenes on a given day.

6. Find your area of interest, and if there isn't imagery there for that day, select a date where there is imagery. Zoom into that area by clicking on the "+” zoom button (top left of the map) about four times or by using your scroll wheel/trackpad/two- fingered pinch zoom. The false color composite imagery will render for your area of interest. This composite allows you to visualize wavelengths that the human eye cannot see (such as short-wave infrared). In this band combination, burned areas appear brick red — due to the presence of ash, exposed dry soil, etc. — and water appears dark, making it easier to see lakes and flooded lands. Additional information is available for Sentinel-2 HLS false color imagery and Landsat HLS false color imagery.

7. Toggle on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) layer which provides information on the presence and health of vegetation. NDVI can be used, for example, to detect drought, map the extent of burned areas, and assess fire impacts to vegetation. Additional information is available for the Sentinel-2 NDVI layer and the Landsat NDVI layer. 

8. Toggle on the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) layer, which provides information on the moisture content of fuels and their susceptibility to increased fire risk. This information is helpful for wildland fire management. Additional information is available for the Sentinel-2 NDMI layer and the Landsat NDMI layer.

9. Toggle on the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) layer. In wildland fire management applications, NBR data derived from satellite observations before and after a fire can be used to map the extent of the burned area and the magnitude of burn severity. Additional information is available for the Sentinel-2 NBR layer and the Landsat NBR layer.

10. Toggle on the Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (NBR2) layer; this is a variant of NBR that highlights water sensitivity in vegetation. In wildland fire management applications, this can potentially be used to assess post-fire vegetation conditions. Additional information is available for the Sentinel-2 NBR2 layer and the Landsat NBR2 layer. 

Also included in the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 Imagery menu is the ‘Customize HLS Bands’ option, which allows you to set your own band combination. 

11. Click on the "+” next to Customize HLS Bands in the menu on the right to expand this section. Here you can select and load your desired HLS Sentinel and HLS Landsat band combinations using the layer picker to assign bands to the R(red), G(green), and B(blue) channels. 

12. Find your area of interest and, if there isn’t imagery present for that day, select a date where there is imagery. If you are still not zoomed in far enough, you will see "Zoom Level Not Supported – Zoom In (+)" until you have zoomed in sufficiently for the layer to load. You will also see sets of translucent blue boxes (for Sentinel) and green boxes (Landsat) on the map to indicate areas where imagery is available. 

13. To load your desired HLS Sentinel band combination, click on Sentinel – Custom Bands to access the 12 Sentinel bands and assign your desired band to R: G: B: and then click confirm 

Sentinel false-color imagery embedded in the FIRMS portal makes it easier to detect healthy vegetation..

14. Now you can view your selected band combination on the map. Above is an example band combination for Sentinel-2 (R: B8, G:B4, B:B3) that can be used to identify healthy vegetation (such as crops) as well as dense vegetation based on the near infrared (B8) band.  

Below we have selected R:B7, G:B5, B:B4 for Landsat 8/9 for an area in Florida that includes the Big Cypress National Preserve. This band combination is useful for distinguishing burned area, which appears brick red due to the presence of ash, increased bare ground, exposed soil, and damaged vegetation.

Landsat false-color imagery embedded in the FIRMS portal makes it easier to spot fire burn scars.

Details

Last Updated

May 1, 2026

Published

April 29, 2026

Author

Jenny Hewson