Annual trend
Use the metric filter to change the analytical lens.
Annual selected-metric trajectory for the current period and scope.
Fire intelligence for decision-making
See where Ghana’s fire activity burns hottest.
Explore satellite detections, burned area, seasonal concentration, district hotspots, sensor agreement, and data coverage across 24 years.
Dashboard readyDataset version: 2001–2024 consolidated panel · Observatory v1.0.0
Research-use notice: This Observatory is an analytical research resource, not an emergency-warning or incident-response service. For active emergencies, consult the relevant public authorities.
National fire overview
Headline conditions, annual trajectories, and the characteristic monthly fire cycle.
Seasonal signature
Average monthly activity over the selected years.
Average monthly selected-metric profile for the current period and scope.
Seasonality
Find peak months, severe seasons, and shifts in the timing of fire activity.
Fire calendar heatmap
Click or hover over cells to inspect individual months.
Month-by-year heatmap for the selected metric and scope.
Zone seasonal profiles
Shared scale comparison across Ghana’s five agro-climatic zones.
Monthly comparison across Ghana’s five agro-climatic zones.
Spatial patterns
Map district fire exposure, compare ecological zones, and identify the leading hotspots.
The choropleth uses the uploaded district boundaries, with agro-climatic-zone outlines overlaid for context. Click any district to open its analytical profile.
Interactive district fire map
Color reflects the selected metric and period; the scale is capped at the 95th percentile to preserve spatial contrast.
District choropleth for the selected metric, period and zone.
Leading districts
Top 15 districts for the selected period and zone. Click a bar to open its profile.
Ranking of the 15 leading districts for the selected metric.
District and zone profiles
Inspect a selected district against its ecological context and the national pattern.
District annual history
Raw annual values for the selected metric.
Annual history for the selected district and metric.
Benchmark index
Each series is indexed to its own selected-period mean = 100.
Indexed comparison of district, zone and national patterns.
Full-period monthly climatology
District average monthly profile for 2001–2024; VIIRS uses its supported period.
Average monthly profile for the selected district.
Sensor and product comparison
Compare MODIS and VIIRS during their common support period beginning in 2012.
Raw MODIS and VIIRS counts should not be pooled. The sensors can agree strongly on timing while recording different absolute magnitudes.
District-year agreement
Each point represents one district in one supported year.
District-year comparison of MODIS and VIIRS detections.
National sensor trajectories
Annual detection totals shown separately.
Separate national annual trajectories for MODIS and VIIRS.
Data quality and methodology
Coverage, structural missingness, key integrity, merge status, and provenance.
Zero is not missing
A valid zero means the product was available and no qualifying activity was recorded. Unsupported periods remain blank.
Compare like with like
Use burned percentage for fairer district comparison; use raw burned area to understand total burden.
Keep sensors separate
MODIS and VIIRS may track the same timing while reporting different detection magnitudes.
Product coverage
Unavailable product periods are missing, not zero.
Product support periods and structural missingness.
Key audit
Expected versus actual rows and identifier integrity.
Glossary
Plain-language definitions, formulas, interpretation guidance, and limitations for the terms used throughout the observatory.
Use the i buttons throughout the dashboard for a quick definition. The full glossary provides calculation notes and interpretation guidance.