PCI-2 Product -

Basic: This product is a multiple-channel product, derived from all three infrared (IR) channels of the GOES Imager. This "second" component is the one that most often detects fire/hot spots. The information in this channel comes mainly, but not exclusively, from the difference between the signal in the shortwave and longwave infrared (IR) channels in a manner different than the other products used for fire detection. Fire/hot spots generally appear white during both day and night. Occasionally the images in a loop of this product will be inverted (black to white) but the fires will continue to appear a contrasting gray shade to the background signal.

Advanced: This product is a Principal Component Image (PCI) generated from the three GOES IR channels (channel-2, 3.9 µm; channel-4, 10.7 µm; and channel-5, 12.0 µm). Using three channels as input results in three PCIs. Component Images optimally combine the images to separate the independent components in normally-redundant multiple-channel imagery. The second Component (PCI-2) is typically composed of longwave channel-4 plus longwave channel-5 minus shortwave channel-2. The output is stretched to fill the entire range of available gray shades. The product will change slightly as the images transition between day and night, due mainly to the presence or absence of a reflected component in GOES channel-2. Fire/hot spots generally appear white during both day and night. Occasionally the images in a loop of this product will be inverted (black to white) but the fires will continue to appear a contrasting gray shade to the background signal.