Earth observation and natural disasters
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As recent events have shown, Earth-imaging satellites are adapted to respond to all types of natural disasters.
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Satellite imagery is employed increasingly to manage natural of man-made disasters.
Civil protection agencies rely on it to support the provision of emergency logistics, food supplies, and medical aid for victims who are often left homeless, and to take stock of post-disaster damage in urban and rural areas.
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Each type of disaster is different: a wildfire is characterized by its extent, a tsunami by its spread, an earthquake by its element of surprise, a flood by the slow rise of waters, a hurricane by its predictability and an industrial disaster by its location. In each case, satellite data supports effective action.
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Satellites can map any point on the globe, at the required resolution and over large or small areas. The key is to task them as early as possible. Spot Image offers priority tasking for its full range of satellites (SPOT2, SPOT4, SPOT5, KOMPSAT-2 and FORMOSAT-2) so that coverage of a disaster area can be obtained more quickly. Spot Image is part of the rapid-response team called into action in the event of a disaster by the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.
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Spot Image regularly responds to disasters. Three recent events in early 2009 showed the value of its multisensor tasking capability and diverse portfolio of map products.
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