Characterising thermal imaging in field conditions – an inside view of NPL Lab Tests
Two-thirds through the project, much of the research in FRM4Fire focused on reviews of uncertainties affecting Fire Radiative Power Product retrievals. This article reviews the research performed by NPL’s Temperature and Humidity team that addressed potential sources of uncertainty related to operating a thermal imaging camera onboard aircraft to support validations of satellite observations.
The reference instrument of choice for an aerial thermography approach to validating satellite-derived Fire Radiative Power (FRP) data is the middle wave Infrared (MWIR) camera. This type of thermal imager captures spectra that match the relevant satellite’s spectral resolution. When mounted in the belly of an aircraft, pointed downwards, and flown over wildfires, these high-end devices provide accurate detection and temperature measurements.