Companies and space agencies collecting satellite imagery are being asked to share data from Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
The appeal comes from Ukraine-based satellite data company EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA).
It has announced that data providers will be put in touch with Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.
EOSDA founder Max Polyakov said it would provide “actionable intelligence” to those opposing the Russian invasion.
He asked for “new and real-time high to medium resolution optical and radar satellite imagery” to support both military and humanitarian efforts in the region.
“The economic, political and humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine are already too great to remain on the sidelines,” he said in a statement.
There are two main types of satellite imagery.
SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) reflects a microwave radar signal off the Earth’s surface to detect physical features. It can be used to detect and track small-scale movements on the Earth’s surface – for example, it would be able to detect troop movements. It can work in any weather and at night.
Companies offering this include Capella, Iceye, Airbus and Spacety.
Optical imagery from companies like Maxar Technologies and Planet are also in demand, although the satellites that provide them rely on visible or infrared light, so can’t see through clouds and aren’t as effective at night.
Some companies are already sharing their images. Planet recently launched a specialized non-public platform monitoring hundreds of satellite feeds over Ukraine. It has daily high-resolution images and uses algorithms to detect activities such as traffic jams and the movements of ships and plans in real time.
And Maxar’s earth constellation makes images available to news agencies and bloggers.
“Publicly available satellite imagery is a defining feature of 21st century warfare,” Robert Muggah, director of satellite and mapping company SecDev Group, told the BBC.
“Satellite maps shared on conventional and social media can provide tremendous insights in an instant, but also carry dangerous liability risks, especially when it comes to potential military and civilian targets.”
But he added that there is a “dark side”.
“Not only can geospatial information be used and manipulated by military actors, geospatial misinformation and disinformation are also potential risks.”
Satellite imagery can also be manipulated, with deepfakes or simple photoshopping being a “growing problem,” he said.
Google recently announced that it is removing all user-submitted locations in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus from Maps to avoid associating user-made pins with missile attacks.
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