Burnt Areas

A burnt area represents the charred perimeter of land affected by a fire, derived from satellite imagery. It is characterised by:

a unique identifier
a polygon geometry describing the burnt perimeter
a centroid point
pre- and post-event acquisition timestamps
spectral metrics (dNBR, dNDVI)
a confidence score
the area in m²

Burnt areas are computed by analysing pairs of pre- and post-fire satellite products. Unlike hotspots, which represent individual thermal detections, a burnt area describes the spatial extent of damage after a fire has occurred.

Search

The main endpoint to retrieve burnt areas is:

GET /v1/burnt_areas/

The endpoint searches for burnt areas whose centroid falls within a passed bounding box, filtered by a time range and other optional parameters.

Burnt areas for a cluster

If you already have a cluster of interest, you can retrieve all associated burnt areas directly via GET /v1/clusters/:id/burnt_areas/ without needing to specify a bounding box.

Parameters

Bounding box

The area of interest is defined by:

xmin, the minimum longitude
ymin, the minimum latitude
xmax, the maximum longitude
ymax, the maximum latitude

Centroid-based filtering

The bounding box filter is applied to the centroid of the burnt area, not to its full perimeter. A burnt area whose centroid lies outside the bounding box will not be returned, even if part of its perimeter overlaps with it.

Date range

Time filters are passed as date and minutes parameters, where:

date is the end of the time range (defaults to now if omitted)
minutes is the range before the end date, expressed in minutes

For example date=2024-01-15T00:00:00Z and minutes=2880 translates to:

Jan 14th 2024 00:00 UTC - Jan 15th 2024 00:00 UTC

The following date formats are supported:

ISO 8601 (e.g. YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ)
YYYY-MM-DD-HHmm, where HHmm is the time expressed in UTC

What does the time range filter on?

The time range is applied to post_time, which is the acquisition time of the post-event satellite image used to detect the burnt area.

EPSG

The supported EPSG codes are:

4326 (WGS 84)
3857 (Web Mercator)

The epsg parameter defines the coordinate reference system of both the bounding box coordinates and the feature geometries returned in the response. The default is 4326.

Bounding box CRS

The bounding box coordinates are interpreted according to the specified EPSG code. If the bounding box is passed in a different CRS, the results may be incorrect.

Select

The select parameter allows to include additional information in the response. The supported values are:

shape: includes the full burnt area polygon geometry instead of the centroid point
clusters: includes the fire clusters associated with this burnt area
pre_product: includes metadata about the pre-event satellite product
post_product: includes metadata about the post-event satellite product
image_sets: includes the COGeo image sets for both pre- and post-event products (implies pre_product and post_product)
window: includes the analysis window geometry used to detect the burnt area

Multiple values can be passed as a comma-separated list.

Default geometry

By default, the geometry of each returned feature is the centroid (Point). Pass select=shape to receive the full polygon.

Area Unit

The unit_area parameter controls the unit used for the area property in the response. The supported values are:

sqm — square metres (default)
sqkm — square kilometres
ha — hectares
ac — acres

Localization

If localization=true is passed, timestamps and area values are automatically converted based on the user's locale settings.

Response

The server responds with a GeoJSON FeatureCollection. Each feature represents a single burnt area.

Empty response

If no burnt areas were found for the specified parameters, the response will be an empty FeatureCollection.

The following properties are always included for every returned feature:

Property	Description
`id`	Unique identifier of the burnt area
`area`	Area in the requested unit (default: m²)
`pre_time`	Acquisition time of the pre-event satellite image
`post_time`	Acquisition time of the post-event satellite image
`mean_dnbr`	Mean delta Normalised Burn Ratio within the perimeter
`mean_dndvi`	Mean delta NDVI within the perimeter
`confidence`	Algorithmic confidence score between `0.0` and `1.0`
`severity`	Burn severity class (`unburned`, `low`, `moderate_low`, `moderate_high`, `high`, `unknown`)

Single Burnt Area

To retrieve the full details of a specific burnt area by ID:

GET /v1/burnt_areas/{id}

This endpoint does not require a bounding box. It accepts:

select — same values as the search endpoint (shape, clusters, pre_product, post_product, image_sets, window)
unit_area — same area unit options (sqm, sqkm, ha, ac)
localization — same localization flag

Selected burnt area — annotated

The response is a single GeoJSON Feature (not a FeatureCollection) with the same properties as described in the Response section above.

Search by Cluster Context

Burnt areas for clusters in a bounding box

GET /v1/clusters/burnt_areas/

This endpoint searches for clusters within the given bounding box and time range, and returns all burnt areas that are associated with those clusters. It accepts the same bounding box, date range, EPSG, select, unit_area and localization parameters as the main search endpoint, plus the following cluster filters:

Cluster filters

Parameter	Description
`confidence`	Minimum cluster confidence (0.0–1.0)
`min_fire_confidence`	Minimum fire confidence level (`low`, `medium`, `high`, `very_high`)
`max_fire_confidence`	Maximum fire confidence level (`low`, `medium`, `high`, `very_high`)
`include_no_fire_confidence`	Include clusters with unknown fire confidence (default: `true`)
`num_fires`	Only consider clusters with at least N hotspot detections (default: 1)
`type`	Filter clusters by classification type. Refer to GET /v1/clusters/types/ for the list of valid values.
`cause`	Filter clusters by cause. Refer to GET /v1/clusters/causes/ for the list of valid values.
`satellites`	Comma-separated list of satellite names. Only clusters that include at least one detection from the listed satellites are considered.
`algorithms`	Comma-separated list of algorithm names. Only clusters that include at least one detection from the listed algorithms are considered.
`product_types`	Filter on burnt area product type: `high_resolution` or `low_latency`.

Cluster-based filtering

The time range and bounding box apply to the cluster, not the burnt area itself. A burnt area outside the bounding box or time window may still be returned if its associated cluster is within the search area.

Burnt areas for a specific cluster

GET /v1/clusters/{id}/burnt_areas/

Returns all burnt areas linked to a single cluster identified by its :id. This endpoint does not require a bounding box or time filter — all burnt areas associated with that cluster are returned.

Accepted parameters:

select — shape, clusters, pre_product, post_product, image_sets
unit_area — area unit (sqm, sqkm, ha, ac)
localization — localization flag

Cluster information panel — annotated

No time filter needed

Because this endpoint is scoped to a specific cluster, no date range parameters are required.

Burnt area history for a specific cluster

GET /v1/clusters/{id}/burnt_areas/history/

Returns the burnt area shapes grouped per satellite overpass for a given cluster. Each feature in the response corresponds to a single product processing step (one satellite pass), with the union of all burnt areas detected during that pass.

This endpoint accepts no additional query parameters.

The response is a GeoJSON FeatureCollection where each feature has the following properties:

Property	Description
`acquisition_time`	Sensing start time of the satellite pass
`processed_at`	Timestamp when the product was processed
`area`	Total burnt area for this overpass in m²

Features are sorted chronologically by acquisition_time.

Use case

This endpoint is useful for tracking how a fire's burnt perimeter grew over time, as captured by successive satellite passes.

Examples

Latest burnt areas

Retrieve burnt areas detected in the last 48 hours for a region in northern Australia:

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/burnt_areas/?xmin=125.88825&ymin=-17.15467&xmax=127.15381&ymax=-16.30349&date=2026-04-30T16:21:00Z&minutes=2880' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [126.4821, -16.7354]
      },
      "properties": {
        "id": 10094827,
        "area": 3847200.0,
        "pre_time": "2026-04-19T01:48:00Z",
        "post_time": "2026-04-21T01:52:00Z",
        "mean_dnbr": 0.38,
        "mean_dndvi": -0.29,
        "confidence": 0.91,
        "severity": "high"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The bounding box drawn over the region of interest:

Bounding box search area

After the query is run, detected burnt areas are shown within the bounding box:

Bounding box with burnt area results

With full polygon shape

Pass select=shape to receive the burnt perimeter polygon instead of the centroid:

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/burnt_areas/?xmin=125.88825&ymin=-17.15467&xmax=127.15381&ymax=-16.30349&date=2026-04-30T16:21:00Z&minutes=2880&select=shape' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

The geometry in each feature will be a Polygon or MultiPolygon rather than a Point.

Historical data

Retrieve burnt areas detected during a specific past period:

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/burnt_areas/?xmin=125.88825&ymin=-17.15467&xmax=127.15381&ymax=-16.30349&date=2026-04-30T16:21:00Z&minutes=21069' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

The above request covers the full period from 16 April 2026 03:12 (GMT+2) to 30 April 2026 18:21 (GMT+2) — approximately 14.6 days (21 069 minutes).

Single burnt area with product metadata

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/burnt_areas/10094827?select=shape,pre_product,post_product' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

Bounding box with burnt area metrics

Burnt areas for clusters in a region

Retrieve burnt areas associated with fire clusters detected during the target period, filtering for high-resolution products and a minimum of 3 hotspot detections:

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/clusters/burnt_areas/?xmin=125.88825&ymin=-17.15467&xmax=127.15381&ymax=-16.30349&date=2026-04-30T16:21:00Z&minutes=21069&product_types=high_resolution&num_fires=3&select=shape' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

Cluster selected on the map

Burnt areas for a specific cluster

Retrieve all burnt areas linked to cluster 99938468:

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/clusters/99938468/burnt_areas/?select=shape' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

Selecting the cluster also opens its information panel:

Cluster information panel

Burnt area history for a cluster

Retrieve the perimeter growth over time for cluster 99938468:

curl -X GET \
    --url 'https://app.ororatech.com/v1/clusters/99938468/burnt_areas/history/' \
    --header 'apikey: <my-api-key>'

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[...]] },
      "properties": {
        "acquisition_time": "2026-04-19T01:48:00Z",
        "processed_at": "2026-04-19T02:31:00Z",
        "area": 1240500.0
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[...]] },
      "properties": {
        "acquisition_time": "2026-04-21T01:52:00Z",
        "processed_at": "2026-04-21T02:38:00Z",
        "area": 3847200.0
      }
    }
  ]
}

This can be extensive due to the number of burnt area polygons associated with a given cluster and their geometric complexity. For example, cluster 99938468 returned 47 burnt area polygons:

Burnt area history for cluster 99938468

Search​

Parameters​

Bounding box​

Date range​

EPSG​

Select​

Area Unit​

Localization​

Response​

Single Burnt Area​

Search by Cluster Context​

Burnt areas for clusters in a bounding box​

Cluster filters​

Burnt areas for a specific cluster​

Burnt area history for a specific cluster​

Examples​

Latest burnt areas​

With full polygon shape​

Historical data​

Single burnt area with product metadata​

Burnt areas for clusters in a region​

Burnt areas for a specific cluster​

Burnt area history for a cluster​

Search

Parameters

Bounding box

Date range

EPSG

Select

Area Unit

Localization

Response

Single Burnt Area

Search by Cluster Context

Burnt areas for clusters in a bounding box

Cluster filters

Burnt areas for a specific cluster

Burnt area history for a specific cluster

Examples

Latest burnt areas

With full polygon shape

Historical data

Single burnt area with product metadata

Burnt areas for clusters in a region

Burnt areas for a specific cluster

Burnt area history for a cluster