Earth Observation for Humanitarian Operations

Large-scale population displacements have ever increased the need for more effective humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian organizations require up-to-date reliable information about the situation on-site. Field-based surveys are often limited in crisis situations due to time or accessibility constraints. Geospatial and Earth observation (EO) technologies have increasingly become popular in the humanitarian community. An EO-based information service was set up for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) which provides dedicated geospatial information products in support of their operations. The core of the service portfolio is population monitoring using dwelling extraction from (multi-temporal) very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery. The service is mainly requested for refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps. Additional services on environmental resources, including groundwater, are provided on demand. As of mid-2017, over 350 maps at 60 locations in over 20 countries have been produced.