Ghana fire panel dataset: monthly agro-climatic zone and district fire metrics, 2001–2024

This dataset contains the consolidated monthly fire-analysis panels developed for a national assessment of fire dynamics in Ghana. The deposit includes agro-climatic zone (ACZ)-level and district-level monthly tabular datasets covering January 2001 to December 2024, together with supporting audit and manifest files that document panel construction and merge integrity.

The dataset was created to support analysis of long-run burned-area dynamics, overlap-era fire activity–fire impact comparison, district-level heterogeneity, and hotspot or spatio-temporal clustering. The analytical framework distinguishes between fire impact and fire activity rather than treating them as interchangeable measures. Burned-area metrics were derived from the MODIS MCD64A1 Collection 6.1 burned-area product, while active-fire activity metrics were derived primarily from the VIIRS 375 m active-fire product. The study was organised using Ghana’s five agro-climatic zones and harmonised district units.

Files included in this deposit are:

1. a monthly ACZ-level consolidated panel;
2. a monthly district-level consolidated panel;
3. a panel key audit file;
4. a manifest describing file structure and contents; and
5. a merge summary file.

These data are derived analytical datasets, not raw satellite observations. They are intended to support transparency, reproducibility, secondary analysis, and data re-use in studies of fire regimes, environmental monitoring, spatial analysis, and fire-management planning in Ghana and comparable tropical landscapes.

The associated study examined long-run burned-area change, seasonal fire dynamics, district departures from agro-climatic baselines, activity–impact concordance, and hotspot concentration within a nested agro-climatic zone–district framework for Ghana. The corresponding manuscript title is: Fire dynamics in Ghana: Long-run burned area change and overlap-era active fire concordance.