A new study by NASA indicates the use of near-real-time data from satellites during natural disasters could cut response times and reduce costs, as reported by Science Daily. Performed at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the study used data from satellite imagery during the 2011 Southeast Asian floods to both examine the extent and estimate the depth of flooding in affected regions.
When combined with information on local roadways, this allowed proposals for emergency response routes to be rapidly developed, leading to an estimated average reduction in response time of nine minutes per event. Said John Bolten, associates program manager of NASA’s Earth Science Water Resources Program, “The response time for emergency responders is heavily dependent on the availability and fidelity of the mapped regions.” An earlier study noted, over the region of Southeast Asia, a reduction of even one minute per trip would result in a savings of up to $50 million per year.
Speaking of the development of the process, Perry Oddo, associated scientist at Goddard and lead author of the study, said “We chose data that represented what we would know within a couple hours of the event. We took estimates of flood depth and damage and asked how we could apply that to route emergency response and supplies. And ultimately, we asked, ‘what is the value of having that information?’”
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191122112807.htm
