Improved Satellite-Based Emergency Mapping through Automated Triggering of Processes

Abstract

For more than two decades, satellite-based emergency mapping (SEM) supports authorities and responders in the rapid assessment of disaster situations. Although automation has been advanced, particularly in the field of satellite image analysis, the standard SEM workflow of the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service (CEMS) is mostly user-driven at crucial steps. The 2021 flood events in western Germany show, as an example, the strong influence of manual interaction on the timely provision of satellite-based crisis products to emergency managers. We examine where latencies occur in the CEMS workflow and show a concept for the automation of processes and the usage of primarily open web data for process triggering to overcome delays. Our assumption is that a combination of both components is key for a faster SEM workflow, which we discuss along further benefits and challenges. A prototypical information system demonstrates the practical applicability of the concept.