These data sets are statewide maps of fire scars (burnt areas) as captured in a yearly series by all available Landsat imagery over the period 1986 - 2012. Fire scars are automatically detected and mapped using dense time series of Landsat imagery acquired over the period 1986 - present. In these products, on average, over 80% of fire scars captured in Landsat imagery have been correctly mapped with less than 30% false fire rate.

These data sets are statewide annual composites of fire scars (burnt area) derived from all available Sentinel-2 images acquired over Queensland. Fire scars have been mapped using an automated change detection method, with supplementary manual interpretation.

The data set is a statewide annual composite of fire scars (burnt area) derived from all available Landsat 5, 7 and 8 images acquired over the period January to December using time series change detection. Fire scars are automatically detected and mapped using dense time series of Landsat imagery acquired over the period 1987 - present. In addition, from 2013, products have undergone significant quality assessment and manual editing. The automated Landsat fire scar map products covering the period 1987-2012 were validated using a Landsat-derived data set of over 500,000 random points sampling the spatial and temporal variability. On average, over 80% of fire scars captured in Landsat imagery have been correctly mapped with less than 30% false fire rate. These error rates are significantly reduced in the edited 2013-2016 fire scar data sets, although this has not been quantified. For the 2016 annual fire scar composite, the manual editing stage incorporated Landsat and Sentinel 2A imagery (resampled to match Landsat spatial resolution), allowing for increased cloud-free ground observations, and an associated reduction in the number of missed fires (not quantified). Sentinel 2A images were primarily used to map fire scars that were otherwise undetectable in the Landsat sequence due to cloud cover/Landsat revisit time. Additionally, Landsat-7 SLC-Off imagery (affected by striping) was excluded from the 2016 annual composite. It is expected that these modifications should result in improved mapping accuracy for the 2016 period. A new fire scar detection algorithm has been developed, with a new edited product implemented in 2021.

OFFICIALImportant: Our technical support team is available to assist you during business hours only. Please keep in mind that we can only address technical difficulties during these hours. When using the product to make decisions, please take this into consideration.AbstractThis spatial product shows ‘near real-time’ bushfire and prescribed burn extents for all jurisdictions who have the technical ability or appropriate licence conditions to provide this information into a national product.This is a scientific product and should not be used for safety of life decisions. Please refer to jurisdictional emergency response agencies for incident warnings and information.CurrencyDate Created: October 2025Modification Frequency: Every 15 MinutesData ExtentCoordinate Reference: WGS84Spatial ExtentNorth: -9°South: -44°East: 154°West: 112°Source informationPrevious project teams identified source data through jurisdictional websites and the Emergency Management LINK catalogue.Sources for the current iteration of this dataset have been confirmed by each jurisdiction through the EMSINA National and EMSINA Developers networks.This Webservice contains authoritative data sourced from:Australian Capital Territory - Emergency Service Agency (ESA)New South Wales - Rural Fire Service (RFS)Queensland - Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES)South Australia - Country Fire Service (CFS)Tasmania - Tasmania Fire Service (TFS)Victoria – Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)Western Australia – Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)This webservice does not contain data from:Northern Territory – Bushfires NTKnown Limitations:This dataset does not contain information from the Northern Territory Government.This dataset contains a subset of the Queensland bushfire boundary data. The Queensland ‘Operational’ feed that is consumed within this National Database displays the last six (6) months of incident boundaries. In order to make this dataset best represent a ‘near real-time’ or current view of operational bushfire boundaries, Geoscience Australia has filtered the Queensland data to only incorporate the last one (1) week’s data.Geoscience Australia is aware that duplicate data (features) may appear within this dataset. This duplicate data is commonly represented in the regions around state borders where it is operationally necessary for one jurisdiction to understand cross border situations. Care must be taken when summing the values to obtain a total area burnt.The data within this aggregated national product is a spatial representation of the input data received from the custodian agencies. Therefore, data quality and data completion will vary. If you wish to assess more information about specific jurisdictional data and/or data feature(s) it is strongly recommended that you contact the appropriate custodian.The accuracy of the data attributes within this webservice is reliant on each jurisdictional source and the information they elect to publish into their Operational Bushfire Boundary webservices.Attribute Accuracy: The accuracy of the data attributes within this webservice is reliant on each jurisdictional source and the information they elect to publish into their Operational/Going Bushfire Boundary webservices.Data Completeness: The completeness of the data within this webservice is reliant on each jurisdictional source and the information they elect to publish into their Operational/Going Bushfire boundary webservices. In the case of Queensland’s data contribution: Please see the ‘Known Limitations’ section for full details.Schema: The following schema table covers all the core data fields: Note: Geoscience Australia has, where possible, attempted to align the data to the National Current Incident Extent Feeds Data Dictionary. However, this has not been possible in all cases. Geoscience Australia has not included attributes added automatically by spatial software processes in the table below.Lineage statementVersions 1 and 2 (2019/20): This dataset was first built by EMSINA, Geoscience Australia, and Esri Australia staff in early January 2020 in response to the Black Summer Bushfires. The product was aimed at providing a nationally consistent dataset of bushfire boundaries. Version 1 was released publicly on 8 January 2020 through Esri AGOL software.Version 2 of the product was released in mid-February as EMSINA and Geoscience Australia began automating the product. The release of version 2 exhibited a reformatted attributed table to accommodate these new automation scripts.The product was continuously developed by the three entities above until early May 2020 when both the scripts and data were handed over to the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. The EMSINA Group formally ended their technical involvement with this project on June 30, 2020.Version 3 (2020/21): A 2020/21 version of the National Operational Bushfire Boundaries dataset was agreed to by the Australian Government. It continued to extend upon EMSINA’s 2019/20 Version 2 product. This product was owned and managed by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, with Geoscience Australia identified as the technical partners responsible for development and delivery.Work on Version 3 began in August 2020 with delivery of this product occurring on 14 September 2020.Version 4 (2021/22): A 2021/22 version of the National Operational Bushfire Boundaries dataset was produced by Geoscience Australia. This product was owned and managed by Geoscience Australia, who provided both development and delivery.Work on Version 4 began in August 2021 with delivery of this product occurring on 1 September 2021. The dataset was discontinued in May 2022 because of insufficient Government funding to sustain the Project.Version 5 (2023/25): A 2023/25 version of the National Near Real-Time Bushfire Boundaries dataset is produced by Geoscience Australia under funding from the National Bushfire Intelligence Capability (NBIC) - CSIRO. NBIC and Geoscience Australia also partnered with the EMSINA Group to assist with accessing and delivering this dataset. This dataset was the first time where the jurisdictional attributes were aligned to AFAC’s draft National Going Bushfire Schema and Data Dictionary.Work on Version 5 began in August 2023 and was released in late 2023 under formal access arrangements with the States and Territories.Version 6 (2025/26) - Current Version A 2025/26 version of the National Near Real-Time Bushfire Extents dataset is produced by Geoscience Australia under project funding from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the National Emergency Management Agency, with contributions to the National Bushfire Intelligence Capability. This dataset is built directly off Version 5, incorporating improvements from AFAC's finalised National Going Bushfire Schema and Data Dictionary.Work on Version 6 started in September 2025 and was finalised and released in mid-October 2025. This iteration of the dataset is funded until 30 June 2026.Data dictionaryAttribute nameField TypeDescriptionfire_idStringID attached to fire (e.g. incident ID, Event ID, Burn ID).fire_nameStringIncident name. If available.fire_typeStringBinary variable to describe whether a fire was a bushfire or prescribed burn.ignition_dateDateThe date of the ignition of a fire event. Date and time are captured in jurisdiction local time and converted to UTC. Please note when viewed in ArcGIS Online, the date is converted from UTC to your local time.capt_dateDateThe date of the incident boundary was captured or updated. Date and time are captured in jurisdiction local time and converted to UTC. Please note when viewed in ArcGIS Online, the date is converted from UTC to your local time.capt_methodStringCategorical variable to describe the source of data used for defining the spatial extent of the fire.area_haDoubleBurnt area in Hectares. Currently calculated field so that all areas calculations are done in the same map projection. Jurisdiction supply area in appropriate projection to match state incident reporting system.perim_kmDoubleBurnt perimeter in Kilometres. Calculated field so that all areas calculations are done in the same map projection. Jurisdiction preference is that supplied perimeter calculations are used for consistency with jurisdictional reporting.stateStringState custodian of the data. NOTE: Currently some states use and have in their feeds cross border data.agencyStringAgency that is responsible for the incidentdate_retrievedDateThe date and time that Geoscience Australia retrieved this data from the jurisdictions, stored as UTC. Please note when viewed in ArcGIS Online, the date is converted from UTC to your local time.ContactClient Services at Geoscience Australia, clientservices@ga.gov.au

VegMachine is an online tool that uses satellite imagery to summarise decades of change in Australia’s landscape. It’s simple to operate, easy to understand, and free to use.

With VegMachine you can: view satellite image land cover products; measure land cover change and fire scars; generate comprehensive ground cover monitoring reports and better understand the links between management, climate and vegetation cover.