This effectively means that objects larger than 50 cm will be detected by the satellite. For example, DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite has 50 centimeter (cm) panchromatic and 1.84 meter multispectral resolutions.
Each company operates satellites with less than one meter panchromatic (black and white) resolution, with some also capable of less than two meter multispectral (color) resolution. Most commercial high-resolution imagery comes from satellites operated by DigitalGlobe, GeoEye and ImageSat International. While conducting imagery analyses may appear daunting, this guide is intended to break down the process of identifying, acquiring and analyzing imagery into concise steps with an emphasis on minimizing costs. In addition to violent conflict, imagery can also be used to assess other issues, from deforestation to indigenous land rights. Satellite images also lend themselves well to publication by news organizations, investigative reports and even legal proceedings because they can objectively substantiate eyewitness accounts and other reporting. While monitoring a potential conflict area by acquiring new satellite imagery on an ongoing basis is ideal, doing so can be quite expensive.Įyes on Darfur also shows how imagery can serve as an effective advocacy tool by starkly illustrating the impact of armed attacks on civilian populations. The site has imagery of Darfuri villages that are vulnerable to attack, and continues to be regularly updated as needed with new images to assess recent changes that have occurred. Eyes on Darfur, a joint project of AAAS and Amnesty International, is one example of an active monitoring project. In these applications, an area of interest is monitored by continuously gathering and updating imagery. Imagery analysis can also be used to monitor inaccessible or prohibited areas where an event has yet to occur but the potential for conflict is high. This type of evidence gathering is helpful in corroborating NGO and eyewitness accounts of events on the ground and has been done in Burma, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere. Comparing images of the area before and after it was declared a CSZ revealed fresh bomb and shell craters and damage to rooftops. For example, in 2009 AAAS looked at imagery of the Civilian Safety Zone (CSZ) in Sri Lanka after government forces had defeated the Tamil Tigers. Satellite imagery analysis projects typically involve documenting the damage to an area after an event has occurred. In addition, the decreasing cost of geospatial technologies and increasing availability of geospatial data have made high-resolution imagery analysis a viable research tool for human rights organizations.
As the imaging capability of high-resolution satellites has developed over the years, so too has the power to analyze the impact of conflict on infrastructure and other features identifiable from imagery. Imagery is particularly useful for assessing the extent of violent conflict, forced displacement, and other human rights concerns in remote, inaccessible or otherwise tightly controlled areas of the world, such as Burma and Sri Lanka. High-resolution satellite imagery can be used for human rights-related documentation, monitoring, and advocacy efforts.
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