pyrostat — a computer program for forest fire data inventory and analysis in Mediterranean countries

pyrostat, a computer program for forest fire data inventory and analysis, is presented and analyzed. Detailed description of the system analysis considerations, program structure, and user–interface principles is given. pyrostat is specifically designed to alleviate current problems and anticipate future needs of the forest fire data recording processes in all the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. The program electronically files forest fire information and produces reports with cumulative quantitative data on forest fires (number of fires, area burned, fire causes, type of vegetation burned, fire suppression parameters, etc.), at various temporal (single day, month, year or multi-year) and spatial (local, regional, national) scales. It also provides the user with the option to isolate, group and retrieve recorded fires that share in common a combination of factors. pyrostat may serve as a common tool for forest fire management planning and exchange of homogeneous information on forest fire data, among Mediterranean countries.