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Bush fire monitoring in the north -western rangelands of Western Australia was born out of a need to provide a tool to manage the natural resources of the area more effectively. Satellites, in particular the data from the NOAA-AVHRR, provide a very effective means of routinely monitoring fire. These data have also enhanced fire management as they can provide information on the fuel load resulting from wet season growth, curing or drying of that growth and hot spots of active fires. This monitoring is achieved in near real time and is provided to the various regional authorities, enabling them to develop more responsive strategies to manage fire. As part of Vegetation Watch, NOAA-AVHRR data for the last five years have been used to provide an historical record of fire scars. From this, an understanding of annual patterns of burning is being gained, resulting in improved systems of controlled burning.
The extent of bush fires in the north -west of WA appears to have been increasing over recent years, with potentially disastrous results to pastoral station infrastructure and stock, and to the area's rich biodiversity. It has therefore become imperative that bush fire processes are understood and recorded. FIRE WATCH is a system being developed by the Department of Land Administration and the Bush Fires Board to facilitate this (Smith et al. 1994).