Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]

Metadata:

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Point

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 0

Longitude_Resolution: 0

Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major_Axis: 6378137

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

This data publication contains a database along with a supplemental file containing source information. The database is available in four different formats in this publication (ACCDB, GDB, GPKG, or SQLite), which are all available as separate downloads. Below is a description of the files and their content.


SUPPLEMENTAL FILE

\Supplements\FPA_FOD_source_list.pdf is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file containing a list of the sources of wildfire data in the FPA FOD. This information is also available in Table 1 from "A Spatial Database of Wildfires in the United States, 1992-2011" (https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-6-1-2014).


VARIABLE DESCRIPTION FILE

\Data\_variable_descriptions.csv: Comma-separated values (CSV) file containing a list and description of variables found in all data files. (A description of these variables is also provided below.)

Columns include:
Table = name of table
Variable = name of variable
Description = description of variable


DATA FILES (4)

The database is available as a Microsoft Access (accdb), ESRI ArcGIS geodatabase (gdb), OGC Geopackage (gpkg), and SQLite (sqlite) (SpatiaLite format) file. All formats contain the same two entities (Fires and NWCG_UnitIDActive_20200123) and associated attributes, which are described below.
1. \Data\FPA_FOD_20221014.accdb
2. \Data\FPA_FOD_20221014.gdb
3. \Data\FPA_FOD_20221014.gpkg
4. \Data\FPA_FOD_20221014.sqlite


Fires:
Table including wildfire data for the period of 1992-2020 compiled from U.S. federal, state, and local reporting systems.

FOD_ID = Unique numeric record identifier.

FPA_ID = Unique identifier that contains information necessary to track back to the original record in the source dataset.

SOURCE_SYSTEM_TYPE = Type of source database or system that the record was drawn from (FED = federal, NONFED = nonfederal, or INTERAGCY = interagency).

SOURCE_SYSTEM = Name of or other identifier for source database or system that the record was drawn from. See \Supplements\FPA_FOD_source_list.pdf for a list of sources and their identifier and Short (2014) for additional source information.

NWCG_REPORTING_AGENCY = Active National Wildlife Coordinating Group (NWCG) Unit Identifier for the agency preparing the fire report (BIA = Bureau of Indian Affairs, BLM = Bureau of Land Management, BOR = Bureau of Reclamation, DOD = Department of Defense, DOE = Department of Energy, FS = Forest Service, FWS = Fish and Wildlife Service, IA = Interagency Organization, NPS = National Park Service, ST/C&L = State, County, or Local Organization, and TRIBE = Tribal Organization).

NWCG_REPORTING_UNIT_ID = Active NWCG Unit Identifier for the unit preparing the fire report.

NWCG_REPORTING_UNIT_NAME = Active NWCG Unit Name for the unit preparing the fire report.

SOURCE_REPORTING_UNIT = Code for the agency unit preparing the fire report, based on code/name in the source dataset.

SOURCE_REPORTING_UNIT_NAME = Name of reporting agency unit preparing the fire report, based on code/name in the source dataset.

LOCAL_FIRE_REPORT_ID = Number or code that uniquely identifies an incident report for a particular reporting unit and a particular calendar year.

LOCAL_INCIDENT_ID = Number or code that uniquely identifies an incident for a particular local fire management organization within a particular calendar year.

FIRE_CODE = Code used within the interagency wildland fire community to track and compile cost information for emergency fire suppression (https://www.firecode.gov/).

FIRE_NAME = Name of the incident, from the fire report (primary) or ICS-209 report (secondary).

ICS_209_PLUS_INCIDENT_JOIN_ID = Primary identifier needed to join into operational situation reporting data for the incident in the ICS-209-PLUS dataset.

ICS_209_PLUS_COMPLEX_JOIN_ID = If part of a complex, secondary identifier potentially needed to join to operational situation reporting data for the incident in the ICS-209-PLUS dataset.

MTBS_ID = Incident identifier, from the MTBS perimeter dataset.

MTBS_FIRE_NAME = Name of the incident, from the MTBS perimeter dataset.

COMPLEX_NAME = Name of the complex under which the fire was ultimately managed, when discernible.

FIRE_YEAR = Calendar year in which the fire was discovered or confirmed to exist.

DISCOVERY_DATE = Date on which the fire was discovered or confirmed to exist.

DISCOVERY_DOY = Day of year on which the fire was discovered or confirmed to exist.

DISCOVERY_TIME = Time of day that the fire was discovered or confirmed to exist.

NWCG_CAUSE_CLASSIFICATION = Broad classification of the reason the fire occurred (Human, Natural, Missing data/not specified/undetermined).

NWCG_GENERAL_CAUSE = Event or circumstance that started a fire or set the stage for its occurrence (Arson/incendiarism, Debris and open burning, Equipment and vehicle use, Firearms and explosives use, Fireworks, Misuse of fire by a minor, Natural, Power generation/transmission/distribution, Railroad operations and maintenance, Recreation and ceremony, Smoking, Other causes, Missing data/not specified/undetermined).

NWCG_CAUSE_AGE_CATEGORY = If cause attributed to children (ages 0-12) or adolescents (13-17), the value for this data element is set to Minor; otherwise null.

CONT_DATE = Date on which the fire was declared contained or otherwise controlled (mm/dd/yyyy where mm=month, dd=day, and yyyy=year).

CONT_DOY = Day of year on which the fire was declared contained or otherwise controlled.

CONT_TIME = Time of day that the fire was declared contained or otherwise controlled (hhmm where hh=hour, mm=minutes).

FIRE_SIZE = The estimate of acres within the final perimeter of the fire.

FIRE_SIZE_CLASS = Code for fire size based on the number of acres within the final fire perimeter (A=greater than 0 but less than or equal to 0.25 acres, B=0.26-9.9 acres, C=10.0-99.9 acres, D=100-299 acres, E=300 to 999 acres, F=1000 to 4999 acres, and G=5000+ acres).

LATITUDE = Latitude (NAD83) for point location of the fire (decimal degrees).

LONGITUDE = Longitude (NAD83) for point location of the fire (decimal degrees).

OWNER_DESCR = Name of primary owner or entity responsible for managing the land at the point of origin of the fire at the time of the incident.

STATE = Two-letter alphabetic code for the state in which the fire burned (or originated), based on the nominal designation in the fire report (not from a spatial overlay).

COUNTY = County, or equivalent, in which the fire burned (or originated), based on nominal designation in the fire report (not from a spatial overlay).

FIPS_CODE = Five-digit code from the Federal Information Process Standards (FIPS) publication 6-4 for representation of counties and equivalent entities, based on the nominal designation in the fire report (not from a spatial overlay).

FIPS_NAME = County name from the FIPS publication 6-4 for representation of counties and equivalent entities, based on the nominal designation in the fire report (not from a spatial overlay).


NWCG_UnitIDActive_20200123:
Look-up table containing all NWCG identifiers for agency units that were active (i.e., valid) as of 23 January 2020, when the list was downloaded from https://www.nifc.blm.gov/unit_id/Publish.html and used as the source of values available to populate the following fields in the Fires table: NWCG_REPORTING_AGENCY, NWCG_REPORTING_UNIT_ID, and NWCG_REPORTING_UNIT_NAME.

UnitId = NWCG Unit ID.

GeographicArea = Two-letter code for the geographic area in which the unit is located (AK=Alaska, CA=California, EA=Eastern Area, GB=Great Basin, IN=International, NA=National, NR=Northern Rockies, NW=Northwest, RM=Rocky Mountain, SA=Southern Area, SW=Southwest).

Gacc = Seven or eight-letter code for the Geographic Area Coordination Center in which the unit is located or primarily affiliated with (CAMBCIFC=Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, USAKCC=Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, USCAONCC=Northern California Area Coordination Center, USCAOSCC=Southern California Coordination Center, USCORMCC=Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, USGASAC=Southern Area Coordination Center, USIDNIC=National Interagency Coordination Center, USMTNRC=Northern Rockies Coordination Center, USNMSWC=Southwest Area Coordination Center, USORNWC=Northwest Area Coordination Center, USUTGBC=Western Great Basin Coordination Center, USWIEACC=Eastern Area Coordination Center).

WildlandRole = Role of the unit within the wildland fire community.

UnitType = Type of unit (e.g., federal, state, local).

Department = Department (or state/territory) to which the unit belongs (AK=Alaska, AL=Alabama, AR=Arkansas, AZ=Arizona, CA=California, CO=Colorado, CT=Connecticut, DE=Delaware, DHS=Department of Homeland Security, DOC= Department of Commerce, DOD=Department of Defense, DOE=Department of Energy, DOI= Department of Interior, DOL=Department of Labor, FL=Florida, GA=Georgia, IA=Iowa, IA/GC=Non-Departmental Agencies, ID=Idaho, IL=Illinois, IN=Indiana, KS=Kansas, KY=Kentucky, LA=Louisiana, MA=Massachusetts, MD=Maryland, ME=Maine, MI=Michigan, MN=Minnesota, MO=Missouri, MS=Mississippi, MT=Montana, NC=North Carolina, NE=Nebraska, NG=Non-Government, NH=New Hampshire, NJ=New Jersey, NM=New Mexico, NV=Nevada, NY=New York, OH=Ohio, OK=Oklahoma, OR=Oregon, PA=Pennsylvania, PR=Puerto Rico, RI=Rhode Island, SC=South Carolina, SD=South Dakota, ST/L=State or Local Government, TN=Tennessee, Tribe=Tribe, TX=Texas, USDA=Department of Agriculture, UT=Utah, VA=Virginia, VI=U.S. Virgin Islands, VT=Vermont, WA=Washington, WI=Wisconsin, WV=West Virginia, WY=Wyoming).

Agency = Agency or bureau to which the unit belongs (AG=Air Guard, ANC=Alaska Native Corporation, BIA=Bureau of Indian Affairs, BLM=Bureau of Land Management, BOEM=Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, BOR=Bureau of Reclamation, BSEE=Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, C&L=County & Local, CDF=California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, DC=Department of Corrections, DFE=Division of Forest Environment, DFF=Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands, DFL=Division of Forests and Land, DFR=Division of Forest Resources, DL=Department of Lands, DNR=Department of Natural Resources, DNRC=Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, DNRF=Department of Natural Resources Forest Service, DOA=Department of Agriculture, DOC=Department of Conservation, DOE=Department of Energy, DOF=Department of Forestry, DVF=Division of Forestry, DWF=Division of Wildland Fire, EPA=Environmental Protection Agency, FC=Forestry Commission, FEMA=Federal Emergency Management Agency, FFC=Bureau of Forest Fire Control, FFP=Forest Fire Protection, FFS=Forest Fire Service, FR=Forest Rangers, FS=Forest Service, FWS=Fish & Wildlife Service, HQ=Headquarters, JC=Job Corps, NBC=National Business Center, NG=National Guard, NNSA=National Nuclear Security Administration, NPS=National Park Service, NWS=National Weather Service, OES=Office of Emergency Services, PRI=Private, SF=State Forestry, SFS=State Forest Service, SP=State Parks, TNC=The Nature Conservancy, USA=United States Army, USACE=United States Army Corps of Engineers, USAF=United States Air Force, USGS=United States Geological Survey, USN=United States Navy).

Parent = Agency subgroup to which the unit belongs (A concatenation of State and Unit from this report - https://www.nifc.blm.gov/unit_id/publish/UnitIdReport.rtf).

Country = Country in which the unit is located (e.g., US = United States).

State = Two-letter code for the state in which the unit is located (or primarily affiliated).

Code = Unit code (follows state code to create UnitId).

Name = Unit name.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

Short, Karen C. 2014. A spatial database of wildfires in the United States, 1992-2011. Earth System Science Data. 6: 1-27. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-6-1-2014 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/45689

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20230809

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Karen C. Short

Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

Contact_Position: Research Ecologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory

Address: 5775 US Highway 10 West

City: Missoula

State_or_Province: MT

Postal_Code: 59808

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 406-329-4800

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: karen.c.short@usda.gov

Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998