The Planetscope satellite constellation, operated by the satellite data company Planet collects weekly and sometimes even daily images of the entire globe. Its fleet of Cubesats, or miniature satellites, has about 1,700 images of every location on Earth. The data the constellation captures has been used to monitor the spread of wildfires, detect changes in crop health and survey areas of deforestation.
A group of researchers have found a way to utilise this data to detect significant natural disasters in remote regions of the globe soon after they happen, giving first responders accurate information about the needs of the region affected.
This kind of global coverage is unprecedented, said associate professor Rongjun Qin: “There are a lot of great benefits in terms of having satellites cover the globe very quickly. We’re focused on informing the community about changes to our cities, forests and ecosystems.”
The study, published in the Journal GIScience...