United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER)

Effective use of space-based information in all phases of the disaster management cycle requires access to data and tools as well as knowledge of relevant methods. When data and data products are accessible and the capacity to use or create resources is built, countries, as well as national or international organizations, can create space-based products tailored to their individual needs and conditions. (1)

Established in 2006, The United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) mission is to “ensure that all countries and international and regional organizations have access to and develop the capacity to use all types of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle. A number of initiatives in recent years have contributed to making space technologies available for humanitarian aid and emergency response. UN-SPIDER is the first to focus on the need to ensure access to and use of such technologies during all phases of the disaster management cycle, including the risk reduction phase which is crucial for reducing the losses of lives and property.

UN-SPIDER provides entry points to a wide range of resources related to the use of space-based information for disaster risk management and emergency response. Each database referred to below allows filtering resources according to parameters such as hazard time and satellites or sensors used to obtain the data:” (2)

Institutions: UN-SPIDER is mandated to act as a bridge between the space and disaster management communities. To facilitate the discovery of relevant institutions, the program compiles relevant disaster management institutions, space agencies, and international institutions. The organizations are presented briefly and links are provided to access their respective websites.

Data Application of the Month: UN-SPIDER regularly writes up information about how specific data can support addressing a particular hazard. These pages also include links to access the related data and products as well as information about tools that might be useful to process the information.

Data Sources: Access to data is key for making use of the benefits of space-based information in disaster management. For this reason, UN-SPIDER regularly adds links to a large variety of satellite imagery sources, elevation models, land use and land cover maps as well as near-real-time data products for different hazard types. Users can search the database by data type, hazard or disaster management cycle phase, as well as other relevant factors including costs, temporal or spatial coverage, sensor or file types. The results of each search are connected to UN-SPIDER’s database of GIS and remote sensing software suggesting links to adequate software for each data type.

GIS and Remote Sensing Software: To process space-based data, users require adequate software that allows them to create relevant information products. UN-SPIDER hosts links and descriptions of GIS and remote sensing software including both free and commercial applications. Users can search this database by different criteria, including software type, data format, scope, or file types. In order to use or download the software, links to the specific provider are shown. The different software profiles also point to existing online tutorials to support users in developing their skills in using these applications.

External In-Person Training Opportunities: UN-SPIDER is a facilitator of capacity-building and regularly organizes training courses as part of its technical advisory support activities. To help users develop their GIS and remote sensing skills for disaster management, the program also links to relevant training programs organized by external providers that are not affiliated to UN-SPIDER. The entries in this database include in-person short-term courses, workshops, and academic programs. The database indicates types of training events, schedule and duration, language and place where the events are conducted, topics, requirements, proposed target audience, and complementary information.

External Online Training Opportunities: In addition to linking to external in-person training opportunities, UN-SPIDER also compiles a list of available online training courses such as MOOCs and webinars. These can be filtered according to the hazard type and software the training includes. Online training opportunities range from hands-on tutorials that explain how to develop a particular information product to a series of videos that provide background information about using satellite data in disaster management.

Carbon Mapper Data Portal

Image Source: Carbon Mapper

Carbon Mapper, Inc.’s mission is to “deliver and guide the adoption of digital public goods that facilitate timely action to mitigate human impacts to Earth’s climate and ecosystems. Powered by philanthropy, Carbon Mapper has convened a broad unique coalition of private and public-sector actors with the combined expertise and resources to deploy a science-driven, sustained, and operational decision support service for maximum impact. Our partners are Planet, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the State of California, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, RMI, and our philanthropic sponsors.” (3)

The current Carbon Mapper data portal is a research prototype, originally developed by Carbon Mapper and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, allowing users to explore, analyze, and download point source methane data collected in select U.S. regions since 2016. The portal will be periodically updated with new data sets from future airborne methane surveys over the next two years. By early 2023, the portal will be upgraded in preparation for ongoing data delivery from our satellite constellation within 90 days of observation. (4)

The Carbon Mapper data systems and the underlying algorithms have benefited from five years of development under several NASA-funded programs including the Carbon Monitoring System (CMS), ACCESS and Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) programs. Those projects have improved the accuracy, efficiency, and utility of methane and CO2 data products and analytics. The current focus of the Carbon Mapper data portal is individual high emission methane point sources. Specifically, the portal provides methane plume imagery with emission rates and uncertainties from strong point sources as observed from NASA’s next generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) and ASU’s Global Airborne Observatory (GAO) airborne platforms. These systems have near-identical capabilities and serve as prototypes for future sustained global monitoring by our Carbon Mapper satellite constellation.

Several of these research programs are ongoing and will be infused into future versions of the Carbon Mapper data portal. Some of this technology has been made available to the California Air Resources Board to support its California-specific methane data portal. Additional funding for airborne campaigns and data sets has been provided by California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the University of Arizona, Occidental Petroleum, U.S. Climate Alliance, RMI, and Environmental Defense Fund.

Other related open-source resources available via the Carbon Mapper coalition include:

MapAction Maps and Data

MapAction is a charitable NGO operating in the humanitarian sector. Since 2003, MapAction has been applying expertise in geographical information and data to make humanitarian disaster response, data preparedness, and prediction as effective as possible; aiding decision making and saving many thousands of lives. Its combination of technical knowledge, insight into humanitarian contexts, and collaboration with global partners give it a profound understanding of all aspects of humanitarian information management. Through partnership, MapAction provides governments, regional and local agencies with access to the information and analysis that they need to make key decisions, at the right times, to save lives and alleviate suffering. Most of its technical staff are expert volunteers who donate their energy and skills, meaning MapAction can help stretch often limited humanitarian resources for maximum impact.

MapAction’s map and data resources are organized by Location or Event.

Ukraine: Complex, March 2022: MapAction is using its range of GIS, data, and analysis skills to support humanitarian coordinators in the Ukraine response. Please contact the MapAction field team using [email protected] for other maps and data related to the crisis:

Drive Times Between Major Cities: Drive Times Between Major Cities.

Map of Transport Infrastructure and Border Crossings: Map showing transport links and border crossings.

Transport routes between Ukraine and Poland: Transport routes between Ukraine and Poland

Receptions Points in Poland: Map shows Reception Points in Poland.

Mobile Phone Coverage – Pre Emergency: Map of Mobile Phone Coverage – Pre Emergency

Map of Railways in Ukraine: Map of railways in Ukraine and surrounding countries

Transport links to settlements from Chernivisti: Map showing transport links to settlements around Chernivisti

Transport links to settlements from Uzhhorod: Map showing transport links and settlements around Uzhhorod

Overview of western Ukraine: Detailed overview map of western Ukraine designed for printing at A1.

Transport links to settlements from Lviv: Map showing transport links and settlements around Lviv

Map of Transport Infrastructure and Western Border Crossings: Map shows transport infrastructure and Western border crossings

Oblasts of Ukraine: Oblast boundaries and cities in Ukraine

Country overview: Map shows major settlements, transport links and physical features of Ukraine and surrounding region.

Atlas of Raion admin areas per Oblast: Admin maps showing raions per oblast

Oblast transport atlas: Transport maps for each Oblast (Region). Maps show roads, rail, airport and other transport networks.

Population Density by Raion (based upon WorldPop population counts for 2020): Shows population density at raion (admin 2) level for Ukraine, based on summing data from WorldPop population counts for 2020

Overview: Poland and Ukraine: Map shows major settlements, transport links, and physical features of Ukraine and the surrounding region.

Country overview

What Next?

Opportunities for Advantage – Strengthening Your Organization’s Cognitive Infrastructure: Leverage these open source tools to provide your organization with the best in class information to inform business strategy, operations, and risk awareness levels in Europe right now. As Matt Devost noted in the OODA Almanac 2022 – Exponential Disruption; “In 2019 we began working in the national security sector to raise awareness of a concept called Cognitive Infrastructure. US movement in the protection of this infrastructure has been slower than we would like, perhaps due in part to the uniquely American distrust of anything championed by authority or pushed by the government. Whether it is recognized by DHS as a critical infrastructure or not, it is one of critical importance to the private sector, in our view firms that understand the strengths and weaknesses of their own Cognitive Infrastructure will have an advantage over those that do not.”

Cyber Attacks are Still a Threat: The better your baseline cognitive infrastructure, the better informed your risk assessment and mitigation efforts will be if the cyber conflict escalates in Ukraine and triggers a cyber attack in the U.S.

Ongoing Geopolitical Risks: There are many scenarios that we could see escalating tensions in Ukraine (see OODA CTO Bob Gourley’s recent For Corporate Strategic Planners: Five Scenarios For War’s End). If history is a guide it tells us the unfolding of miscalculations could lead to situations no one wants. Open-source intelligence tools are also an approach to tracking geopolitical risk in-house within your organization. We will continue to track and assess on our Geopolitical Risk Sensemaking page.

Simultaneous Crisis Mode: In 2022 our national decision-making apparatus will be significantly stressed as the U.S. tries to manage multiple simultaneous crises. A new Covid variant, January 6th investigation, China and Russia regional power projection, supply chain, cyber, and economic issues will create an opportunity for adversaries to push the envelope in hopes that capacity is diminished and distracted. Organizations will have to build decision, crisis, and operational resiliency informed by strategic forecasting.

OODA is here to help. OODA members can contact us by replying to any of our emails or using this form.

For More on Cognitive Infrastructure Concepts

America’s Most Critical Infrastructure is also Our Most Neglected Infrastructure

Mitigating Risks To America’s Cognitive Infrastructure

National Cognitive Infrastructure Protection: What Can We Learn from the Swedish Psychological Defence Authority?

Further Open-Source Intelligence Resources

Tracking Financial Assets, Military Equipment Losses, UCS Satellite Database, and UNOSAT Maps

The EU Disinformation Lab’s Ukraine Conflict Resource Hub – The EU DisinfoLab is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on “researching and tackling sophisticated disinformation campaigns targeting the European Union, its member states, core institutions, and core values.” (1) The lab has created the Ukraine Conflict Resource Hub with essential information and links to reliable research, analysis, and fact-checks to help [organizations] navigate during this crisis. You can also find tips and ways to combat mis— and disinformation as well as responses brought to counter disinformation.

The USGS 2022 List of Critical Minerals: Moody’s Analytics economist Tim Uy wrote in a recent report: “The greatest risk facing global supply chains has shifted from the pandemic to the Russia-Ukraine military conflict and the geopolitical and economic uncertainties it has created.” Our recent “Warning for the U.S. Chip Industry: Russian Retaliation Could Hit Supply of Key Materials” provided a breakdown of the Russian and Ukraine-source materials critical to the semiconductor manufacturing process (Neon, Palladium, etc.). In February, The US Geological Survey released the 2022 List of Critical Minerals. Palladium and Scandium are included in the USGS list.

The UNHRC Operational Data Portal – Ukrainian Refugees: The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them. The Operational Data Portal (ODP) was created in 2011 to enable UNHCR’s institutional responsibility to provide any information and data-sharing platform to facilitate the coordination of refugee emergencies.

Bellingcat and the Russia-Ukraine Monitor Map: Bellingcat (an innovative open-source investigative journalism network and business model) has been in our research arsenal for a while – ripe for a post to introduce our readers to their tools, investigations, and innovative approach to networked journalism. The war in Europe has now put Bellingcat in the spotlight, based on the growing popularity of their crowdsourced mapping and monitoring efforts.