International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Year Municipality Region | Number | % forest | Population |% Rural MHDI 
of hot spot density poverty 
km” population 
1999 | Cruz de Rio Grande Atlántica 262 75.21 2 93.4 0.410 
Siuna Atläntica 80.15 12 90.2 0.417 
Prinzapolka Atlántica 235 92.55 l 94.0 0.376 
El Rama Atlantica 220 45.36 13 78.2 0.482 
Waspan Atlantica 233 83.62 5 88.3 0.466 
197 
2000 | Siuna Atlántica 563 81.15 12 90.2 0.417 
Prinzapolka Atlántica 383 92.85 1 94.0 0.376 
El Tortuguero Atlántica 270 67.23 43 88.9 0.415 
Puerto Cabezas Atlántica 238 72.89 92 53.1 0.608 
La Cruz de Río Grande | Atlántica 211 75.21 2 93.4 0.410 
2001 | Prinzapolka Atlántica 385 92.55 | 94.0 0.376 
Puerto Cabezas Atlántica 213 72.89 92 53.1 0.608 
Waspan Pacifico 198 83.62 5 88.3 0.466 
El Viejo Pacifico 142 31.86 541 62.7 0.583 
Villa Nueva 135 15.88 286 91.0 0.537 
2002 | Puerto Cabezas Siuna | Atläntica 279 72.89 92 53.00 0.608 
El Viejo Atlántica 231 81.15 12 90.2 0.417 
Prinzapolka Pacifico 230 31.86 541 62.7 0.583 
Acoyapa Atlántica 225 92.55 I 94.0 0.376 
Central 202 11.56 122 68.1 0.599 
2003 | Prinzapolka Atlantica 352 92.55 l 68.1 0.376 
Puerto Cabezas Atlántica 247 72.89 92 53.00 0.608 
Waspan Atlántica 210 83.62 6 88.3 0.466 
EI Castillo Central 131 96.85 6 98.1 0.486 
La Paz Centro Pacifico 120 17.63 307 47.6 0.664 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Table 2 Shows the five Municipalities per region with the highest occurrence of fire spot during five seasons. 
MHDI: alto (0.800-1)medio alto(0.651-0.799)medio bajo(0.501-0.650)bajo (0-0.500) 
CONCLUSIONS 
  
The results obtained in the five seasons observed, clearly shows 
the incidence of the fires severity and their variation on time and 
regions. 
The availability of historic series (annual/monthly), permits the 
analysis of trends and comparisons of fires activity, as well as to 
know theirs spatial distribution through the territory. 
The satellite information offers considerable potential for 
providing timely information to planners, decision-makers and 
environmental and natural resource managers. 
The low resolution of NOAA image need to be supplemented by 
high resolution image (Landsat, Spot) and ancillary data as well, 
in order to achieve the maximum benefit of its temporal frequency 
and applicability. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Banco Mundial, 1997. Nicaragua Atlantic Biological Corridor 
Project. Washington. 133 p. 
Exist a strong association between the fire incidence and the high 
rate of poverty and low Municipality Human Development Index 
as well. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
The authors would like to put in records the gratitude to the 
International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth 
Observation (ITC) and the Board of Trustees Amsterdam 2000 for 
sponsoring to the ex-alumni Msc. Sandra Mejia to attend ISPRS 
co-author of this paper, which it was decisive to make possible the 
presentation of this paper. We also want to express our gratitude 
to the World Bank through the Sistema Nacional de Información 
Ambiental de Nicaragua (SINIA) Project for the partial financial 
support to the presentation of this paper. 
Ciesla, WM. 1997. Forest FIRE management Assessment of 
present capacity and needs for additional inputs. Natural 
Resources Institute, University of Greenwich. 69 p. 
Flasse, SP; Ceccato, P. 1996. A contextual algorithm for AVHRR 
fire detection. International Journal of Remote Sensing 17: 419- 
424. 
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