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S SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY
evolves, and imagery resolution
becomes higher, there is increasingly open discussion on
the potential of existing and foreseeable tools in all sorts
of scientific and social areas. Though still unaffordable in several
developing contexts, satellite technology is rapidly becoming part
of the daily (working) life of millions of people. Personal naviga-
tion systems and, more recently yet, desktop earth observation
applications like Google Earth are exposing millions of users to
the amazing world of remote sensing from space.
As a reflection of this evolution, global programmes are taking
shape, which will change the current perception of space appli-
cations as purely scientific, and instead help bring space down
to earth. Ventures such as the European Space Agency’s (ESA)
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), and
the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), are
evidence of space wanting to move into diverse societal benefit
areas. Meanwhile the United Nations has been following and in
some cases spearheading reflection on the potential of space
applications through institutions such as the UN Committee
for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS) and
programmes like UNOSAT, the Operational Satellite
Applications Programme of the United Nations Institute for
Training and Research (UNITAR). Other examples exist, such as
UNEP, FAO, WFP, WMO, and WHO. Through these capacities,
the UN is striving to take a balanced approach to the use of
space and satellite applications in the multiple areas in which
it holds a mandate, not forgetting that this matter relates as
well to information and communications technology (ICT)
development and ICT for development. UNITAR is one example
of a UN initiative looking at both satellite technology and ICT
from the angle of their applications towards concrete benefits
for societies and individuals.
For a sector like space that has strong scientific and engineer-
ing components, it is not easy to think in terms of beneficiaries
at the local level. But for the UN this is an imperative. That is
why the space sector and the UN have found several ways to
collaborate and each provide their own contribution to the
advancement of these applications while targeting specific groups
of users, from humanitarian relief to emergency response, to local
capacity building and environment protection.
UNOSAT suggests an approach entirely aimed at understanding
user needs and identifying the appropriate applications while devel-
oping local capacity in the medium- to long-term. It has done so
in post-crisis reconstruction, but also in disaster reduction. The
latter is one area where not only is the task before nations enor-
mous; it is also one where talking about technology alone will not
suffice to save the lives of those in danger. To achieve that requires
usable, affordable and appropriate applications.
Earth observation data and geographic information systems
(GIS) have proven to be useful tools for effective decision-making.
For developing countries in particular, with relatively poor terri-
torial documentation and often outdated maps, routinely acquired
satellite imagery combined with local field surveys can be used
in a variety of tasks. Local institutions, for example, can run analy-
ses on the geophysical risks facing their communities, and then
develop plans for improved urban and rural territorial manage-
ment and time-stamp the environmental situation at certain
intervals to monitor environmental parameters, such as forest
cover and urban expansion.
Part of this work includes the collection of data from earth
observation satellites and also local global positioning system
(GPS) recordings, its storage in a GIS, its analysis, and finally
mapping and integration in a holistic city and regional plan.
Elements of such a plan include risk assessments of landslides,
floods etc. and an estimate of overall vulnerability.
Risk analyses are carried out by combining geophysical and
geological parameters (such as land-cover type, elevation, slope,
hydrographic network) with socio-economic parameters (for
example, population distribution and density, income, and asset
values.). All this information can be allocated to a geographical
distribution, hence applicable to a GIS. As the risk assessment
surveys are directly applicable to the people living in the specific
area, a community-based approach using detailed local knowl-
edge about the territory in combination with GIS has proven a
winning combination.
Risk assessment can be aimed at specific types of natural hazards
in order to prepare emergency scenarios and improve resilience
through adequate city planning. A practical example of this is the
action taken by the community of Matagalpa in Nicaragua, to move
the location of one of its schools from grounds at high risk from
landslides to a new low-risk location. This alone reduced the vulner-
ability of an important population layer of the community. Another
example is the recent, more restrictive policy applied by the same
community to licences for building along the riverbanks. This zone
is clearly very exposed to floods, but now the local GIS can quan-
tify and illustrate the actual areas at risk.
The success of using satellite remote sensing and GIS in
Matagalpa was possibly thanks to the work of UNOSAT and its
Moving from technology to its applications:
using satellite remote sensing for disaster
prevention and vulnerability reduction
F. Pisano and E. Bjorgo, UNITAR Operational Satellite Applications Programme