Disaster Anlaysis and Relief Support

Due to the panoramic nature of satellite imagery, it is a vital resource for natural hazard planning, mitigation and response. When natural disasters occur, it is critical for a national government to get an accurate and timely assessment of what has occurred and what the consequences are. In many instances, a natural disaster disrupts local transportation and communication systems making it extremely difficult to arrive at a clear understanding of conditions on the ground. Satellite imagery can contribute a significant amount of information to the issue, especially when coupled with collateral information such as population density and infrastructure. MDA has played an important role in humanitarian relief and disaster response efforts by providing U.S. Government agencies disaster planning and post-disaster relief support.

Korean Infrastructure

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) has suffered from a food shortage since the early 1990's when China and the former Soviet Union implemented market price, hard currency payment systems that sharply reduced North Korea's ability to import goods. This situation is frequently complicated by weather events such as severe flooding from tropical storms. USAID tasked MDA to aid in the production of a Humanitarian Response Planning Map. This product was designed to be a decision support tool for planning humanitarian interventions and considered population distribution, grain production, projected deficits, and infrastructure available for distribution activities. The supply distribution map identifies those parts of the country that are most difficult to access due to terrain, infrastructure and distance from major access routes (such as ports).

Turkish Earthquake

1999 Turkey Earthquake

On August 17th, 1999 a 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on the North Anatolian Fault Zone near the town of Gölcük in western Turkey. The USGS detected a number of large aftershocks with a magnitude above 4. Western Turkey contains some of the country's largest population centers and highest population density. Early reports of the disaster implied that there were few injuries and little damage to buildings and structures. The U.S. Government tasked MDA to verify the area the earthquake occurred in and provide an independent assessment of the likely population of the area. Using our Smart Population Distribution Technique, we determined that the likely affected population was much larger than reported. As more accurate information became available, it was clear that damaged lines of communications and disorganization in Turkish government operations impaired assessment of the true magnitude of the disaster. Our products provided timely information that aided in appropriate planning for relief operations.

Mozambiue Flooding

Mozambique Flood Risk

In the spring of 2000, two tropical cyclones struck the coast of southern Africa bringing widespread flooding to large regions of Mozambique. Satellite imagery proved a valuable source of information on the extent of flooding and the areas most affected. MDA provided GIS modeling and imagery products to aid in disaster relief planning and analysis. The following graphics provide an indication of likely flooding and population distribution within the region.

Rift Valley Fever

MDA supported NOAA and the Center for Disease Control research efforts to investigate the occurrence of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in eastern Africa. RVF is an acute, fever-causing viral disease that affects domestic animals (such as cattle and sheep) and humans. RVF is most commonly associated with mosquito-borne epidemics during years of heavy rainfall. Humans can get RVF as a result of bites from mosquitoes and possibly if they are exposed to either the blood or other body fluids of infected animals. This analysis identified the proximity of animal pens to human settlements to determine a correlation between outbreaks and the closeness of possible disease-carrying animals.

Rift Valley Fever