Yes, but not directly from the FIRMS viewer. NASA’s documented workflow is to configure the map, click the screenshot icon at the bottom, export a PNG or GeoTIFF, and then use your operating system’s Print → Save as PDF command. For a poster or report page that must remain sharp at large size, request a caller-sized FIRMS WMS image and export a composed GIS layout instead of enlarging a small browser screenshot.
The steps below cover both methods, explain what FIRMS symbols mean, and show how to avoid blurry labels, cropped legends, and misleading map interpretation.
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What FIRMS can and cannot export
The FIRMS web viewer does not document a native PDF download. Its official FAQ instructs users to customize the map and select the screenshot icon at the bottom of the viewer. The available image choices are PNG, JPG, GIF, and GeoTIFF. A PDF is created afterward through a print dialog or a GIS export.
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Method 1: Export from the FIRMS viewer and print to PDF
This is the quickest route for a normal report page or handout. The resulting PDF contains the exported raster image, so its maximum sharpness is limited by the pixel dimensions of the screenshot you save.
1. Configure the map before capturing it
- Open the FIRMS Fire Map.
- Select the geographic area, date range, active-fire layers, basemap, and any overlays required for your report.
- Set the zoom and map extent so the final page contains only the area of interest. Do not rely on cropping later to recover details that were outside the captured extent.
- Leave visual room for a title, legend, date range, source credit, and the FIRMS accuracy disclaimer. A map that fills every edge of the browser window often loses context when placed on paper.
2. Capture the largest useful raster
- Click the viewer’s screenshot icon at the bottom of the map.
- Choose PNG for a report-quality image, or GeoTIFF if you will continue working in GIS.
- Save the file at the viewer’s offered dimensions. Do not substitute a thumbnail or a screen grab made with an operating-system snipping tool unless you have no other option.
The map extent and the pixel dimensions are linked: zooming in on a smaller area can make labels and symbols larger in the final image, while capturing a very broad region spreads the same pixels over more geography.
3. Place the image at native size
- Insert the exported image into a document, presentation, or page-layout file.
- Keep the image at its native pixel dimensions while you compose the page. If you must scale it, scale it down rather than enlarging it.
- Add a clear title, the date and time window, layer names, a legend, scale bar, north arrow, source credit, and the FIRMS disclaimer as separate page elements when the screenshot does not include them.
4. Print to a PDF file
- Open the document or image in the application where you placed it.
- Choose Print, then select your operating system’s PDF printer or Save as PDF destination.
- Choose portrait or landscape, the intended paper size, and a deliberate fit or scale setting. “Fit to page” is convenient, but check that it does not shrink the map and surrounding text more than you expect.
- Save the PDF with a descriptive filename that includes the area and date range.
5. Inspect the finished file
Open the PDF and inspect it at 100% zoom. Confirm that fire symbols, place labels, dates, the scale bar, north arrow, attribution, and disclaimer are readable. Also check the page edges: print scaling can clip a legend or move a title outside the printable area.
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A browser screenshot is convenient, but a poster-sized map needs control over the requested raster dimensions and the page layout. NASA documents FIRMS Web Map Service (WMS) imagery in EPSG:4326 (latitude/longitude) and EPSG:3857 (Web Mercator). A free FIRMS MAP_KEY is required.
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1. Obtain and protect a MAP_KEY
Request the free key through NASA FIRMS and keep it with the project configuration rather than embedding it in a public image or shared screenshot. NASA states that a key is limited to 5,000 transactions per 10-minute interval. Plan batch exports so repeated map refreshes do not consume the allowance unexpectedly.
2. Add the WMS to a GIS
- Use a GIS application that supports WMS layers.
- Add the FIRMS WMS service and select the MODIS or VIIRS layer appropriate to the analysis.
- Choose EPSG:4326 when your workflow is based on geographic latitude/longitude coordinates, or EPSG:3857 when it must align with Web Mercator basemaps.
- Set the bounding box to the exact area you intend to print.
3. Request dimensions for the final page
FIRMS WMS GetMap requests accept an explicit bounding box plus WIDTH and HEIGHT. Increasing those dimensions produces a larger raster. As a production planning rule, target roughly 200–300 pixels per printed inch. That range is a practical guideline, not a NASA requirement; choose the dimensions that keep labels and symbols legible at the intended viewing distance.
For example, a 10-inch-wide map panel planned at 250 pixels per inch needs about 2,500 pixels across before margins and surrounding page elements are added. Requesting a larger raster does not create new satellite detail, but it prevents the map from being forced through an undersized image during layout.
4. Build and export the layout
- Compose the map in the GIS layout view rather than exporting only the map canvas.
- Include the title, date and time window, layer names, legend, scale bar, north arrow, data source, and FIRMS accuracy disclaimer.
- Export the complete layout as PDF using the page size and orientation required by the report or poster.
- Keep the original WMS request parameters with the project so another person can reproduce the same extent, projection, layer, and raster dimensions.
Viewer screenshot or WMS: which workflow fits?
| Criterion | Viewer screenshot | WMS plus GIS layout |
|---|---|---|
| Output quality | Quality is limited by the viewer image dimensions; excellent when placed at native size, soft when enlarged. | You choose the requested raster width and height for the final page. |
| Setup time | Immediate: configure the map, click the screenshot icon, and print to PDF. | Requires a free MAP_KEY, WMS configuration, a GIS project, and a layout. |
| Cartographic control | Limited to what the viewer screenshot contains and what you add afterward. | Full control over page size, title, legend, scale bar, north arrow, credits, and disclaimer. |
| Reproducibility | Manual settings and a saved image document the result, but not every service parameter. | Saved WMS parameters preserve the bounding box, projection, layer, and dimensions. |
| File size | Usually smaller and easier to share. | Can be larger because the requested raster and complete layout contain more pixels and page elements. |
Choose PNG, GeoTIFF, or a PDF export
- PNG: Best default for a clean report image and subsequent PDF printing.
- GeoTIFF: Best when the image must remain a GIS raster or be combined with other geospatial layers before layout.
- JPG: Acceptable for quick sharing, but compression can soften small symbols and text.
- GIF: One of the viewer’s documented choices, but generally not the first choice for a detailed printed map.
- PDF: The viewer does not document direct PDF export; create it with the operating system’s PDF printer or the GIS layout exporter.
How to keep a FIRMS PDF sharp
- Capture the smallest geographic extent that still answers the report question.
- Use PNG or GeoTIFF rather than enlarging a small JPG or browser thumbnail.
- Place the image at native dimensions and scale down only when necessary.
- For posters, request WMS dimensions based on the printed width instead of stretching a screen-sized capture.
- Inspect the exported PDF at 100% before sending it to a printer or plotter.
- Keep labels, date range, layer names, source credit, and the disclaimer on the page; a visually sharp map without context is still an incomplete figure.
What the red squares mean
FIRMS describes red squares as satellite-derived thermal anomalies. An approximate MODIS pixel is 1 km × 1 km, while an approximate VIIRS pixel is 375 m × 375 m. A symbol marks an anomalous pixel; it does not mean that the entire square is burning.
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Cloud cover can hide detections, and an anomaly may result from fire, hot smoke, agriculture, or another source. FIRMS data are updated every 15 minutes, but a fresh update does not remove those interpretation limits. Keep NASA’s warning visible on maps used for decisions: Do not use for the preservation of life or property.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo can return a page screenshot from one GET request. Use the FIRMS viewer URL that renders the map state you need; if the map requires interaction, configure that state in the page or use the service’s interaction options before capture. The service supports PNG, JPEG, WebP, and PDF responses, plus full-page capture, custom JavaScript, waits, device and viewport settings, and other controls documented at https://screenshotneo.com/docs/.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/ -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);ScreenshotNeo removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before the shot. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed as clean shots; each response identifies the page verdict and billing status in X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. It also provides an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents such as Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots; every feature is available on every plan. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting
The PDF looks blurry
You probably enlarged a small screenshot or allowed a document editor to downsample it. Re-export as PNG or GeoTIFF, place it at native size, or switch to a WMS request with larger WIDTH and HEIGHT values.
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The legend or title is cut off
The browser capture contains only the selected map area. Leave layout space before exporting, then add page elements in the document or GIS layout. Check printable margins in the PDF print dialog.
The map is sharp but symbols are hard to interpret
Add the layer names, date range, scale bar, source credit, and disclaimer. Remember that a square represents an anomalous pixel, not a guaranteed fire covering that entire square.
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The WMS request fails
Check that the free MAP_KEY is present and that the key has not exceeded NASA’s 5,000-transaction-per-10-minute limit. Verify the projection, bounding box, selected layer, and requested dimensions in the GIS WMS settings.
The map changed between exports
FIRMS updates data every 15 minutes. Record the capture time and date window, and save the WMS parameters or the viewer configuration used for the published PDF.
The PDF opens but prints incorrectly
Reopen it at 100% zoom, confirm the page size and orientation, and print a test page. A printer’s “fit” or “shrink oversized pages” option can alter scale even when the PDF itself is correct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the FIRMS PDF a vector map?
The documented viewer workflow exports raster image formats, and the WMS workflow also supplies raster map imagery. The GIS layout can preserve vector page elements such as text and lines, but the FIRMS map layer itself remains raster.
Which projection should I choose for WMS?
Use EPSG:4326 for latitude/longitude workflows or EPSG:3857 when alignment with Web Mercator basemaps is the priority. Keep the projection choice with the saved project parameters.
How often should I record the map’s timestamp?
Record the capture time and the selected date range because FIRMS states that its data are updated every 15 minutes.
Is a larger PDF automatically more accurate?
No. Larger raster dimensions improve print legibility; they do not add satellite detail or remove cloud-related omissions and other thermal-anomaly interpretation limits.
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