Scientists’ Perspective On SatTech In Nature Recovery
Satellite monitoring is playing an increasingly significant role in predicting natural disasters and aiding recovery efforts. Not long ago, we explored this topic from the perspective of market opportunities and the potential benefits satellite technologies bring to organizations.
Today, we continue discussing the role of remote sensing in responding to natural disasters, this time with insights from our scientists. Oleksii Kryvobok, a scientific solutions expert, shared how these technologies are already being applied, while Kateryna Sergieieva, a research associate, highlighted the nuances of sustainable post-disaster recovery.
Advantages Of Satellite Monitoring In Assessing Natural Disaster Impacts
From a scientific perspective, satellite monitoring offers two key advantages that enable timely and effective responses to natural disasters.
The first advantage is the immediacy of satellite data. It’s critically important for data to arrive quickly so that appropriate measures can be taken to minimize the negative impacts of disasters or, at the very least, to alert relevant organizations and communities in time. Regular monitoring of areas prone to natural disasters is equally vital.
The second advantage is damage assessment. Natural disaster-affected areas are often vast and difficult to access, with limited resources for ground-based evaluations. This is where satellite monitoring proves invaluable.
While the tools and techniques may vary depending on the type of disaster, the process ultimately revolves around visual assessment of the damage and ongoing processes during and after the event.
Factors Affecting The Quality Of Satellite Analytics
The greatest limitation lies in the quality of the data obtained.
Currently, hundreds of commercial and government satellites are orbiting Earth, dedicated to remote sensing. Some provide data with a resolution as sharp as 30 centimeters, others are specialized for measuring specific parameters, such as precipitation levels. There are also geostationary satellites capable of capturing images of a given area every 1–15 minutes.
Naturally, this impacts the cost of such data. In EOSDA LandViewer, a sophisticated geospatial platform designed for access to satellite imagery and geospatial data, for instance, the price of high-resolution images can go up to $30 per square kilometer.
The quality limitation, therefore, is less about technology and more about budget constraints. Not every organization — or even country — can afford to regularly obtain high-resolution images or invest in launching their own satellites. Consequently, the likelihood of errors is inversely proportional to the budget allocated for disaster monitoring.
Even with compromise solutions, however, satellite monitoring is often more cost-effective than deploying specialists with equipment to disaster sites.
Applying Remote Sensing Across Different Types Of Disasters
The application of remote sensing varies depending on the objectives set by scientists and experts.
For instance, how can we assess the damage caused by the flooding in Valencia in 2024? The first step is always a visual analysis of the collected imagery.
However, evaluating structural damage can also benefit from spectral data captured by SAR satellites. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) uses microwave signals to create detailed images of the Earth’s surface, allowing it to penetrate clouds, rain, and even some vegetation. This makes it particularly useful for detecting long-term changes, such as ground shifts or the gradual settling of building foundations that may appear intact at first glance.
When it comes to predicting the consequences of meteorological disasters — floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons — remote sensing is the primary tool. These events often originate over seas and oceans, areas where satellites are the only viable method of monitoring. Thanks to satellite observations, we can receive warnings about such disasters days in advance, allowing time to prepare.
However, predicting earthquakes remains more challenging. Ground-based sensors, which monitor shifts in the Earth’s crust, are currently much more effective. Nevertheless, researcher Kateryna Sergieieva and her colleagues have been exploring the potential of satellite imagery to detect signs of impending earthquakes .
Our hypothesis was that earthquakes are preceded by the formation of fissures that release high-temperature gases and steam to the surface. We analyzed thermal maps created from satellite imagery to identify areas with the highest density of temperature gradients. These areas corresponded to the epicenters of earthquakes that occurred shortly after the images were captured.
Challenges In Using Satellite Data For Disaster Assessment
As mentioned earlier, the availability and quality of satellite data can be limiting factors in disaster impact assessments. This challenges experts to evaluate the probability of errors or inaccuracies in their conclusions.
The complexity depends on the specific context. For example, when assessing the consequences of climate change or war, the challenges differ significantly. Climate change affects regions indiscriminately, while the multifaceted impacts of warfare are far more difficult to evaluate.
Increasingly, machine learning and neural networks are being used to process satellite data. Routine tasks, such as distinguishing field boundaries or identifying crops across large areas, can be automated.
However, such models require training data. Since the 1980s, satellite meteorological data — such as cloud cover and surface temperature — has been collected and used for advanced weather forecasting models. From the 2000s onward, more detailed data on vegetation index changes, such as forest loss or desertification, has been gathered, notably by NASA’s Aqua and Terra research satellites. These datasets are often used in solutions for agriculture.
Satellite data related to disasters, whether imminent or aftermath-focused, remains too sparse or fragmented to effectively train neural networks. Normalizing these datasets and achieving an acceptable quality level in models trained on them is likely to become a primary goal for spacetech experts in the coming decades.
Nonetheless, technological advancements will inevitably lead to faster disaster tracking, earlier warnings, and increasingly accurate and efficient assessments of disaster impacts.
The Role Of Satellite Monitoring In Sustainable Recovery
Sustainable recovery aims to restore natural ecosystems to their state prior to human activity. This process focuses on rehabilitating nature after human intervention to ensure biodiversity across plant life, wildlife, and insects.
Satellite monitoring, particularly its historical data archives, helps us understand the condition of nature before human interference or a disaster, as well as track progress in its restoration.
Sustainable recovery differs significantly from conventional restoration, which focuses on calculating damages and rebuilding infrastructure — potentially in a more efficient way than when it was first constructed. Only when a unique ecosystem is fully restored can sustainable recovery be deemed successful, and satellite data comparisons are a vital method for confirming this achievement.
However, sustainability encompasses not only environmental but also social and economic dimensions, which must be harmonized. Allocating a budget for sustainable recovery is not enough; it’s essential to ensure that restoring former ecosystems positively impacts local communities and aligns with their economic activities in the region.
Specifics Of Sustainable Recovery After Disasters
Sustainable recovery of a target area requires not only a systematic approach but also continuous monitoring, as it involves ecosystem restoration within a broader context than merely addressing the aftermath of a specific disaster.
Whether the decision for sustainable recovery is made before or after a disaster, it’s crucial to monitor the likelihood of future catastrophes, prepare accordingly, and adjust plans as needed.
On a regional or national scale, such systematic efforts are feasible only under appropriate legislation. This is why the European Union is actively working on the Landmark Restoration Law, which aims to restore 100% of ecosystems in participating countries by 2050.
Tools For Satellite Monitoring After Disasters
Using satellite imagery to collect historical data or track recovery progress is one of the simplest ways space technologies have long been contributing to sustainability. However, satellite analytics can offer even more.
For example, tools like EOSDA Crop Monitoring are not only valuable for farmers concerned about their yields but also for sustainable soil recovery, fertility monitoring, and vegetation health tracking.
EOSDA solutions such as crop classification and carbon sequestration forecasting are specifically designed with sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration in mind.
EOSDA forestry solutions further this by supporting forest health assessment, reforestation effort monitoring, and fire damage evaluation.
Overall, it’s safe to say that satellite monitoring already provides numerous tools for sustainable nature recovery. These tools are actively used by individual organizations and deliver tangible benefits. However, it’s up to governments to implement these technologies on a systematic and large-scale basis.
That said, satellite monitoring tools alone do not drive change. In the context of sustainable recovery and disaster response, complex and comprehensive solutions are needed, relying on coordinated efforts from all stakeholders — scientists, industry experts, volunteers, businesses, and the public sector. The success of such cooperation ultimately determines the effectiveness of the technologies involved.
Sustainable Recovery: Past, Present, Future
Every disaster, whether caused by nature or human activity, brings not only destruction and loss but also an opportunity to reassess how communities care for their local ecosystems.
For instance, after the devastating 1953 flood in the Netherlands claimed thousands of lives and submerged a significant portion of the country, the Dutch built an extensive system of dams and are now global leaders in sustainable water management .
In 2010, when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, local farmers utilized the volcanic ash to enrich the soil, transforming the affected areas into the country’s most productive farmland .
In response to the catastrophic bushfires of 2019-2020, Australia implemented reforestation programs and sustainable forest management initiatives to gradually restore biodiversity .
Sustainable recovery requires significant investments in long-term planning, community involvement, and scientific approaches. Much work remains to ensure that the concept of sustainable recovery becomes universally recognized and the only viable path forward for humanity.
However, this is not just about ecosystem health or our coexistence with nature. The 20th century taught us the consequences of believing in the limitless abundance of natural resources. Now is the time to learn from that lesson and build a future where caring for nature becomes an inseparable part of caring for ourselves.
About the author:
Maksym Sushchuk is at the forefront of realizing EOSDA's vision to make space tech a global driver of sustainability on Earth. He has over 15 years of experience in journalism and content creation for prominent Ukrainian startups, charitable funds and ESG businesses. As Head and Co-founder of PR Army Maxim brings attention to the human and social tolls of the aggression against Ukraine.
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