The fire hotspots shown on the map are derived from the National Bushfire Monitoring System that provides information to emergency service managers across Australia. Source data is obtained from the NASA Earth Observation Satellites Terra and Aqua and is processed by Geoscience Australia. The satellites orbit the Earth collecting data in a path 2330 km wide. They pass over Australia up to three times a day.

Under ideal conditions, the hotspots shown have been detected 1-24 hours ago, depending on regional information received from the last satellite overpass. The hotspot location on any map (no matter how detailed) is only accurate to at best 1.5 km. The symbol used for the hotspot on the maps does not indicate the size of the fire. Not all hotspots are detected by the satellites. Some heat sources may be too small, not hot enough, or obscured by thick smoke or cloud. The satellites detect any heat source that is hotter than normal. As well as fires these may include industrial operations such as furnaces.