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Global Forest Watch (GFW) is a powerful, free platform that lets anyone — from concerned citizens to corporate risk managers — monitor forests and wildfires worldwide in near-real-time. Operated by the World Resources Institute (WRI), GFW combines satellite data, artificial intelligence, and crowdsourced information to provide actionable intelligence on forest fires and deforestation.

This guide shows you exactly how to use GFW to set up fire alerts for any location worldwide.

What Is Global Forest Watch?

GFW is an interactive online platform that combines over 30 data layers to monitor forests globally. Its fire monitoring component draws from multiple satellite systems:

Data Sources

**NASA FIRMS**: Active fire detections from MODIS and VIIRS satellites

**VIIRS Active Fires**: Higher-resolution fire detection (375m)

**GLAD Alerts**: Tree cover loss alerts from University of Maryland

**Sentinel-2**: High-resolution optical imagery (10m) from ESA

**Landsat**: Long-term vegetation change data

What Makes GFW Different

Unlike [NASA FIRMS](/blog/nasa-firms-fire-map-how-to-use-track-wildfires) (which focuses purely on active fires), GFW integrates fire data with:

**Forest cover**: See how fires interact with different forest types

**Land use**: Identify fires in protected areas, plantations, or agricultural zones

**Historical context**: Compare current fire activity to previous years

**Concessions and land rights**: Fires within logging, mining, or indigenous territories

Setting Up Fire Alerts: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Create an Account

Visit [www.globalforestwatch.org](https://www.globalforestwatch.org/) and click "Sign In" to create a free account. You'll need a valid email address.

Step 2: Define Your Area of Interest

GFW lets you monitor:

**Countries**: Entire nations (e.g., "Brazil" or "Indonesia")

**Sub-national regions**: States, provinces, departments

**Custom areas**: Draw a polygon on the map

**Protected areas**: National parks, reserves

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**Uploaded shapefiles**: Import your own boundaries (for organizations)

To draw a custom area:

Click the "Analyze" tool

Select "Draw shape"

Click points on the map to create your polygon

Name and save the area

Step 3: Configure Fire Alerts

Go to **My GFW** → **Subscriptions**

Click **Create Alert**

Select your area of interest

Choose **Data type**: "Fires" (VIIRS active fires)

Select **Frequency**:

- **Daily**: Receive alerts every morning (recommended for fire season)

- **Weekly**: Summary of the week's fires

- **Monthly**: Statistical overview

Choose **delivery method**: Email (SMS available for select countries)

Step 4: Customize Alert Sensitivity

GFW lets you filter alerts by:

**Confidence level**: High only (fewer false positives) or all detections

**Fire type**: Vegetation fires, agricultural burns, or all thermal anomalies

**Area context**: Fires within forests only vs. all fires

Step 5: Review and Activate

You'll receive a confirmation email. Once confirmed, you'll get alerts whenever the satellites detect fires in your area.

Using the GFW Fire Map

Map Layers

Toggle between layers to get different perspectives:

**VIIRS Active Fires**: Last 24 hours, 48 hours, or 7 days

**MODIS Active Fires**: Historical comparison

**Tree Cover Loss**: See where fires have destroyed forest

**Fire History**: Compare current fires to past years

**Air Quality**: Overlay real-time AQI data

Analysis Tools

Click on any area to get:

**Fire count**: Total active fires in the selected area

**Burned area estimate**: Hectares affected (based on historical analysis)

**Fire season comparison**: How this year compares to the 10-year average

**Forest type**: What's burning (primary forest, secondary, plantation)

Advanced Features

GLAD Alerts (Tree Cover Loss)

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GLAD (Global Land Analysis & Discovery) alerts detect recent tree cover loss — which can indicate fires or logging. These alerts update weekly with 30m resolution.

GEOS-5 Fire Data

For atmospheric scientists and advanced users, GFW integrates NASA GEOS-5 model data showing:

Smoke plume trajectories

Aerosol optical depth

Estimated emissions (CO2, CO, particulate matter)

API Access

For developers and organizations, GFW offers a REST API:

Query fire data by location and date range

Download data as CSV, GeoJSON, or shapefile

Integrate into dashboards and alert systems

Use case: A corporation monitors fire activity near its facilities in Southeast Asia. GFW API integration triggers automatic alerts to facility managers.

GFW for Organizations

Corporate Risk Monitoring

Companies use GFW to:

Monitor supply chain risk (fires near agricultural concessions)

Protect facilities and employees (see [corporate wildfire preparedness](/blog/wildfire-risiken-fuer-unternehmen-duty-of-care))

Verify sustainability commitments (no-deforestation policies)

Support ESG reporting with data

NGO and Research Use

Document illegal burning for advocacy

Research fire patterns and climate interactions

Monitor protected areas for encroachment

Support indigenous communities' land rights claims

GFW vs. Other Fire Monitoring Tools

|---------|--------------------|-----------| --------|

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FAQ: Global Forest Watch

Is Global Forest Watch really free?

Yes. All features including alerts, data downloads, and API access are completely free. WRI is a non-profit organization funded by grants and donations.

How quickly are fire alerts sent?

VIIRS active fire data is typically available in GFW within 3-6 hours of satellite overpass. Alerts are sent in daily batches (morning UTC).

Can I get SMS alerts instead of email?

SMS alerts are available for select countries and partner networks. Check the GFW subscriptions page for availability in your region.

How does GFW handle false positives?

GFW includes confidence levels for each fire detection. You can filter to "high confidence" only to minimize false positives. In agricultural areas, some detected "fires" may be controlled crop residue burning.

*Related: [NASA FIRMS Guide](/blog/nasa-firms-fire-map-how-to-use-track-wildfires) | [EFFIS Guide](/blog/effis-european-forest-fire-information-system-guide) | [Amazon Rainforest Fires](/blog/brazil-amazon-rainforest-fires-2026-status)*

Global Forest Watch: How to Set Up Real-Time Fire Alerts

What Is Global Forest Watch?

Data Sources

What Makes GFW Different

Setting Up Fire Alerts: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Create an Account

Step 2: Define Your Area of Interest

Step 3: Configure Fire Alerts

Step 4: Customize Alert Sensitivity

Step 5: Review and Activate

Using the GFW Fire Map

Map Layers

Analysis Tools

Advanced Features

GLAD Alerts (Tree Cover Loss)

GEOS-5 Fire Data

API Access

GFW for Organizations

Corporate Risk Monitoring

NGO and Research Use

GFW vs. Other Fire Monitoring Tools

FAQ: Global Forest Watch

Is Global Forest Watch really free?

How quickly are fire alerts sent?

Can I get SMS alerts instead of email?

How does GFW handle false positives?

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