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‘Disaster satellites’ ready to fly
9-1-1 Technology | Jerry | July 29, 2009 at 7:56 am
A Russian Dnepr rocket is about to place two British-built imaging satellites in orbit that will help relief agencies response to large scale disasters.
The UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 spacecraft will join four platforms already in the sky that together form the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. The network obtains rapid pictures of areas struck by natural calamities – such as floods, earthquakes and fire. The imagery is used by governments and aid agencies to co-ordinate relief efforts on the ground. “After a major disaster, the first thing you need to do is supply the relief workers with an up-to-date map,” explained Philip Davies, from manufacturers Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL). “If there’s been a big flood, here will be landslides, roads will have been washed away and bridges will be down. So you need a new map that shows you how to get around the area; and it’s the satellite imagery that helps you do that.”
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