Cyclone Relief Efforts Get High-Tech Help

The U.N. often posts these maps on ReliefWeb, a site for disaster relief organizations that provides detailed, up-to-date images of the damaged areas.

This map provides an estimate of the total area of flood water by Township in southern Myanmar. Red...

This map provides an estimate of the total area of flood water by Township in southern Myanmar. Red areas shown in the map represent standing flood waters identified from MODIS satellite imagery acquired on May 5, 2008 at a spatial resolution of 250 meters. This flood detection is a preliminary analysis and has not yet been validated in the field.

(International Charter Space and Major Disasters)
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"First, the images help to see an overall view, but then it is to [ask], which are the most affected areas? Where are the airports? What is the status of the road network to be able to deliver aid to the population?" Bjorgeo said. "It is very much a response-planning tool and an implementation tool."

Using satellite images in the face of natural disasters is nothing new. In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, relief agencies used the images to assess the damage. Firefighting agencies often use satellite imagery of large acreage fires to determine where efforts are most needed.

Satellites are especially helpful for more rural and state-controlled countries such as Myanmar, which may not have up-to-date maps, according to Rob Simmon, the lead visualizer at NASA's Earth Observatory.

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"I think the most important thing that satellites can be used for is mapping, which is especially relevant in really remote areas, like an American mountain range in a wildfire, the coast in a tsunami or Myanmar during a cyclone," Simmon said.

According to Simmon, NASA satellite imagery has been used to make a large-scale map of the flooded areas in Myanmar.

But experts say that as more detailed maps become necessary, relief agencies have to use information from higher-resolution, privately owned satellites. NASA satellites are equippped to take images of larger areas, such as the entire flood zone in Myanmar. In contrast, commercial satellites can zero-in on a particular village or building.

"The most detailed maps will probably come from commercial sources," said Lars Bromley, a project director who runs the geospatial technologies and human rights program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "You're able to see individual structures. You can count how many houses. You can see foot trails up to official roads."