Types of Web Services Offered in FIRMS
- Web Map Services (WMS)
- Web Feature Services (WFS)
- Web Map Service (WMS) Time
Service Descriptions
Web Map Service (WMS)
A WMS is a standard way to request maps from remote servers over the internet using simple web requests. Essentially, you ask for a map by specifying which layers (like roads, terrain, or satellite images) you want and the specific area you're interested in. The server then sends back a map image (in formats such as JPEG or PNG) that is already aligned with geographic coordinates, so it fits correctly when viewed in a mapping application. Additionally, you can request that the map image has a transparent background, which allows you to layer it on top of other maps from different sources.
For more information see the Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC) WMS resources
Web Feature Service (WFS)
WFS provides an interface allowing requests for geographical features across the web using platform-independent calls. The WFS specification defines interfaces and operations for data access and manipulation on geographic features:
- Discovery: You can ask the service what kinds of data it has and get details about the structure of that data.
- Query: You can request specific features or information about them by setting conditions (for example, finding all roads in a certain area).
- Locking: If you need to make sure that no one else changes certain features while you're editing them, you can lock those features.
- Transaction: You can add new features, change existing ones, or remove features from the data.
- Stored Queries: The service lets you save complex queries on the server so you can run them again later with different parameters.
In summary, WFS provides a flexible way to search, update, and manage geographic information directly at the feature level over the internet.
Web Map Service (WMS) Time
WMS-Time allows you to access FIRMS Active Fire Hotspots for a date range up to 31 days. With WMS-Time, you can specifiy a "TIME" parameter to obtain fire hotspots for multiple dates (e.g. 2020-01-01/2020-01-10) or a specific date-time range (2020-01-01 00:45/2020-01-01 10:30).
Technical Specifications
Authentication and Access Control (MapKey)
Our services use MapKeys for authentication. Users must register to obtain a MapKey. Access control is implemented to ensure data security and manage usage quotas.
Visit FIRMS to set up a MapKey.
Users that require large transaction rate (+1000s/minute) should consider:
- NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) WMS, WMTS or Mapbox Vector Tiles (MVT)
- downloading FIRMS data from /active_fire and creating map service on their site
WMS Time Specifications
"TIME" parameter supports the following formats:
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM
YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
YYYY-MM-DD
* seconds are not used and will be ignored. Kept for compatibility
For a single day: "TIME=2020-01-01" or "TIME=2020-01-01/2020-01-01"
For 2 days (48 hrs): "TIME=2020-01-01/2020-01-02"
Please note: WMS-Time currently supports only up to 31 days per request. Also, if there is no data for the specified date, a blank image will be returned.