Map Monday: Disaster Charter

The International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" is an international agreement to make space technology available to emergency responders for major disasters. Maxar companies MDA and DigitalGlobe are both charter partners. The most recent charter activation was for Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. The image above was captured by NOAA-20 satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor and was provided by NOAA's Environmental Visualization Laboratory.

The graphic below shows the estimated flooded areas derived from RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1B. Note that March 17th the estimated flooding area was 400 square km, and 2 days later it was estimated to be 2,300 square km. Radar sensors are the instruments of choice for mapping flood extent because radar "sees through" clouds and generally do a good job depicting flooded areas. Also note the yellow features on the map below are buildings derived from OpenStreetMap. A quick intersection of buildings (and other infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, etc.) and the flood extent provides more actionable information to first responders.

The extent of the flooding is from an equivalent Category 3 hurricane has been devastating and the reporting and pictures from the area are heart wrenching. Thankfully things like the  International Charter for Space and Major Disasters exists to allow space-based satellite imagery to be made available to support disaster response.

Here are links to some reports with more details and pictures from the ground:

• Washington Post
• Guardian
• AfricaNews
• National Geographic
• BBC