Disaster Management
Information from satellites helps to identify areas at risk from disasters, enabling action to be taken in advance to reduce the harm that disasters can cause. Satellite information is also used to assess damage resulting from fire, oil spills, earthquakes etc. and aid in the planning and support of relief efforts. Up-to-date information can be distributed quickly via communications satellites to remote areas at risk, or places where telephone networks on the ground have been damaged or destroyed.
Satellite Extreme Weather Forecasting
This image (from the South African Weather Service) shows the tropical cyclone called Eline, largely to blame for the massive floooding and widespread devastation in Mozambique in 2000. The image has been manipulated to show cloud temperatures and moisture levels in colour, so the white areas indicate the heaviest rainfall areas.
In Mozambique and the northern parts of South Africa, 23 people lost their lives and more than 500 000 were left homeless. Satellite imagery provides a helpful guide to predict which areas might be most affected, and also once the damage is done, to assess the extent of it and to monitor the condition of roads and railways which are needed for relief operations. Similar imagery is used to identify areas cut off from communications and possibly in need of specialised help.
National Disaster Management Centre
South Africa's National Disaster Management Centre (Department of Provincial and Local Government) seeks to ensure that disaster risk reduction measures and strategies are factored into the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) of municipalities. The centre uses satellite imagery extensively to create vulnerability indices and GIS maps.
top
