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- Satellite images track the changing human footprint across the globe, including rapidly growing cities, urban sprawl and informal settlements. Increasingly, satellite imagery is used to measure, identify and track human activity.
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Jun 4, 2018 · Increasingly, satellite imagery is used to measure, identify and track human activity. In 1995, satellite images provided evidence of mass executions in Srebrenica, in former...
- Melinda Laituri
Aug 29, 2023 · Conclusion. What is Satellite Imagery? Literally, just as the name implies, Satellite Imagery means imagery captured by a satellite. Satellite Imagery is a digital imagery, a visual representation of the Earth’s surface captured by cameras or sensors mounted aboard satellites orbiting the Earth.
Jan 21, 2023 · Satellite imagery and aerial photography provide important contextual information for a GIS and are often used to conduct heads-up digitizing (Section 5.1.4 "Secondary Data Capture") whereby features from the image are converted into vector datasets.
- Authors
- Study Review
- Acknowledgments
- Tools and Methods
- Standards and Ethics
- Mass Atrocity Remote Sensing
- About the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
- Preface
- Acronym List
- NP
- UNITAR-
- How to Access Imagery Features in this Guide
- 1B. Addressing Gaps in Practice
- 1C. Potential Users of the Guide
- Camp Selection
- Analysis Methodology
- Limitations
- 2A. Defining and Identifying “Planned” Camps
- 2B. Practical and Operational Considerations When Interpreting Camp Imagery
- What information do potential end-users need?
- What is the camp’s history and context?
- What are the limitations of available imagery data?
- How will change be measured over time?
- What objects will be identified?
- What is the plan for data recording and storage?
- 2D. Visual Profiles of IDP/Refugee Camps
- 2E. Key Questions When Analyzing IDP/Refugee Camps
- 2F. Types of Shelter Structures
- 4A. Shelter
- Yida
- 4B. Civilian-Use Structures
- Identifying Mosques
- Identifying Markets
- Chapter 6: Food Security
- Chapter 8: Logistics
- Chapter 9: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
- Chapter 10: Agency-Use Structures
- Chapter 11: Security
- Tent and Building Identification
- Integration of Non-imagery Data
- Recording Analysis Data
- 16 June 2011
All research, analysis, writing, editing and layout for Satellite Imagery Interpretation Guide: Displaced Population Camps was completed by the Signal Program on Human Security and Technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI). Isaac L. Baker, Imagery Analysis Manager Brittany L. Card, Program Coordinator Nathaniel A. Raymond, Director
Overall supervision of this study for HHI was provided by Vincenzo Bollettino, PhD, and Michael Van-Rooyen, MD, MPH, of HHI. This publication was reviewed by: Carolina Jorda Alvarez, United Nations Institute for Training and Research-Operational Satellite Appli-cations Programme (UNITAR-UNOSAT) Sebastian Ancavil, International Organization for Migr...
The authors are grateful for the time each of the expert reviewers took to review and comment on this guide. The authors especially thank John Clark of Google’s Skybox Imaging and Amin Salameh of the International Organization for Migration for their invaluable contributions to the development of this guide. This report was made possible due to the...
Design and scientifically test tools and methods that remotely collect and analyze data about humani-tarian emergencies;
Help lead the development of technical standards and professional ethics for the responsible use of technology to assist disaster-affected populations;
And conduct retrospective analysis of satellite imagery and other related data to identify remotely ob-servable forensic evidence of alleged mass atrocities.
The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative is a university-wide center involving multiple entities within the Harvard community that provide expertise in public health, medicine, social science, management, and other disciplines to promote evidence-based approaches to humanitarian assistance. The mission of HHI is to relieve human suffering in war and dis...
Remote sensing analysis by humanitarian organizations to detect and document chang-es related to displaced population camps has been employed, in various iterations, by the field for as long as two decades. The use of remote sensing to support responses to civilian displacement can prove valuable for site planning, identifying patterns of pop-ulati...
Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development Association of Volunteers in International Service Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere Danish Refugee Council Department for World Service - Lutheran World Federation Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Finn Church Aid Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammen...
Médecins Sans Frontières National Council of Churches of Kenya Noor Al Hussein Foundation Nonviolent Peaceforce UNHCR-LCU United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Logistics Coordination Unit UNICEF
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund United Nations Institute for Training and Research-Operational Satellite
Satellite Imagery Interpretation Guide: Displaced Population Camps was produced in collaboration with Google’s Skybox Imaging. In this project, the Signal Program used six images collected by Skybox; two of Yida and Zam Zam and one of Zaatari and Dagahaley. SpaceUnited also donated an image of Zaatari that was collected by Astrium. The six Skybox i...
This guide is intended to fill two specific, interconnected gaps in the current use of high resolution satellite im-agery in support of refugee/IDP assistance operations. The first gap is the absence of public and standardized references for commonly observed objects visible in high resolution satellite imagery that are often present in certain ref...
The guide is primarily intended as a reference and training resource for students studying humanitarian response and technology; volunteers supporting humanitarian operations; and general audiences interested in the ap-plication of these skills and technologies to humanitarian assistance. While the guide may be of some utility to professional geosp...
The reference guide includes case studies of four camps in East Africa and the Middle East. The camps are Yida Camp in South Sudan; Zaatari Camp in Jordan; Zam Zam Camp in the Darfur Region of Sudan; and Dagahaley Camp in Kenya. These camps and regions were chosen for two reasons. First, these camps provide examples of geographic regions where civi...
Observable objects present in these images were cross-referenced with data from publicly available maps pro-duced by UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations operating in these camps. Additional open source data, including situation reports, news articles, and ground photographs, were used to help identify, document, and describe objects p...
The Signal Program’s identification of objects present at displaced population camps based on the interpretation of satellite imagery has three major limitations. First, any observable objects that could not be identified and cross-corroborated with open source data or contextual analysis are not included. Secondly, objects that are smaller than th...
This resource focuses explicitly on “planned” refugee or IDP camps. A planned camp, as defined in the context of this guide, is a displaced population camp of refugees and/or IDPs being serviced by international and non-gov-ernmental aid agencies in a specific location. Planned camps can develop from initially self-settled camps in some cases. Whil...
There are several key practical and operational considerations that an analyst should be aware of when inter-preting satellite imagery of displaced population camps. Issues an analyst might encounter will likely vary from camp to camp. However, some critical cross-cutting questions should always be discussed and answered prior to interpreting image...
In most cases, the interpretation of satellite imagery of a displaced population camp occurs in response to a re-quest from a humanitarian agency directed to a VTO and/or institution-based analysts. Generally, these requests are highly time sensitive and occur under significant operational pressures to obtain information. Analysts should be sensiti...
All analysts involved in imagery interpretation should have a common, well-informed knowledge of the history and context of each camp of interest. Understanding the unique characteristics of a camp are crucial for effec-tively interpreting imagery of the camp as each camp can present a distinct visual profile. As discussed in detail in the followin...
Discussions about the potential value of imagery interpretation for supporting humanitarian response often cen-ter on questions of what imagery can and cannot be expected to show. To identify the limitations of imagery in-terpretation in a specific scenario, two separate but related lines of inquiry are required. First, general constraints of image...
Multi-temporal change detection is the process of comparing two or more images of the same location from dif-ferent times against one another to make probabilistic inferences about changes at that location over a specific timeframe.11 While how to perform change detection is not the focus of this edition of the guide, it is likely that information ...
All stakeholders should come to agreement before imagery interpretation begins about what objects are of value to the project and how they will be identified. Given the large number of objects often present in an image of a camp, having a clearly defined scope of what objects are of value is crucial for guiding imagery interpretation. When working ...
Consistency and accuracy in how analysts record, categorize data, and note who collected what data is essen-tial for all imagery interpretation. Analysts should decide before interpreting imagery what data will be recorded, how data will be entered into a database or logging system, with what specifications (e.g. to what precision will latitude and...
The four displaced population camps studied in this guide are located in East Africa and the Middle East. These camps - Yida, Zam Zam, Zaatari, and Dadaab - are distinct products of their historical, cultural, environmental, and operational contexts. Satellite images of the camps reflect these contexts. Regardless of where they are located, displac...
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Satellite imagery, which is rapidly becoming more available at higher resolutions, ofers a potential solution to data scarcity and unreliability. In our paper, we compared the availability and frequency of imagery from 200 random sample sites—100 in the United States and the European Union (EU) and 100 in Africa—between 2010 and 2019.
Jan 22, 2024 · These give a long-term record of both natural and human-induced changes on Earth’s surface. Comparing and contrasting images from different years shows both slow, subtle changes and also rapid and devastating ones. Objectives Students will: analyze features shown on satellite images; analyze changes over time using satellite imagery
Satellite imagery involves the snapping of images from an orbiting satellite looking down on Earth or other planetary bodies. These images, like photographs, can be in visible light or captured in other areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. The images are mostly digital and can be processed to enhance visibility or to highlight certain features.
