Environment & Maritime¶
Tools for satellite-based environmental monitoring and maritime vessel tracking. Useful for conflict monitoring, sanctions enforcement research, and environmental journalism.
nasa_firms¶
Retrieve active fire and thermal anomaly detections from NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System), sourced from polar-orbiting satellites.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
country |
str | Yes | — | ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (e.g. UKR, SYR, SDN, BRA). |
days |
int | No | 1 |
Days of data to retrieve (1–10). |
source |
str | No | VIIRS_SNPP_NRT |
Satellite/instrument. Options: VIIRS_SNPP_NRT, VIIRS_NOAA20_NRT, MODIS_NRT, MODIS_SP. |
Returns: CSV with fire radiative power, confidence level, latitude, longitude, brightness temperature, satellite, instrument, and acquisition timestamp for each detected hotspot.
Auth: NASA_FIRMS_API_KEY — register free.
Usage examples
Get active fires in Ukraine over the last 3 days:
Get Amazon deforestation fire detections using high-resolution VIIRS:
Source selection
VIIRS (375m resolution) provides finer spatial detail than MODIS (1km). _NRT sources are near-real-time (within hours); MODIS_SP is a science-grade reprocessed product.
gfw_vessels¶
Search the Global Fishing Watch vessel identity database for fishing vessels by name, MMSI, or IMO number.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
query |
str | Yes | — | Vessel name, MMSI number, IMO number, or call sign. |
limit |
int | No | 10 |
Maximum vessel records to return. |
Returns: JSON with matching vessel records including flags, gear types, vessel IDs, and identity sources.
Auth: GFW_API_KEY — register free.
Usage examples
Search for a vessel by name:
Look up a vessel by MMSI number:
Search by IMO number:
Use cases
- Track vessels implicated in IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing
- Identify flag-of-convenience registrations
- Cross-reference vessels operating near conflict zones or under sanctions