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docs/A3_Data_acquisition.qmd
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@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ This section highlights ten categories of geospatial data available natively in
## Optical Imagery
![Automatic detection of vehicles using artificial intelligence in high resolution optical imagery. See the [object detection](C5_Object_Detection.qmd) tutorial.](../images/obj_det3.jpg)
![Automatic detection of vehicles using artificial intelligence in high resolution optical imagery. See the [object detection](C5_Object_Detection.qmd) tutorial.](images/obj_det3.jpg)
Optical satellite imagery is the bread and butter of many open source investigations. It would be tough to list off all of the possible use cases, so here's a handy flowchart:
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ There are several different types of optical satellite imagery available in the
## Radar Imagery
![Ships and interference from a radar system are visible in Zhuanghe Wan, near North Korea.](../images/radar%20ships.jpg)
![Ships and interference from a radar system are visible in Zhuanghe Wan, near North Korea.](images/radar%20ships.jpg)
Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery (SAR) is a type of remote sensing that uses radio waves to detect objects on the ground. SAR imagery is useful for detecting objects that are small, or that are obscured by clouds or other weather phenomena. SAR imagery is also useful for detecting objects that are moving, such as ships or cars.
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery (SAR) is a type of remote sensing that uses rad
## Nighttime Lights
![A timelapse of nighttime lights over Northern Iraq showing the capture and liberation of Mosul by ISIS.](../images/Figure_1.gif)
![A timelapse of nighttime lights over Northern Iraq showing the capture and liberation of Mosul by ISIS.](images/Figure_1.gif)
Satellite images of the Earth at night are a useful proxy for human activity. The brightness of a given area at night is a function of the number of people living there and the nature of their activities. The effects of conflict, natural disasters, and economic development can all be inferred from changes in nighttime lights.
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ The timelapse above reveals a number of interesting things: The capture of Mosul
![Sulphur Dioxide plume resulting from ISIS attack on the Al-Mishraq Sulphur Plant in Iraq](../images/mishraq_small.gif){width=100%}
![Sulphur Dioxide plume resulting from ISIS attack on the Al-Mishraq Sulphur Plant in Iraq](images/mishraq_small.gif){width=100%}
Climate and atmospheric data can be used to track the effects of conflict on the environment. The European Space Agency's Sentinel-5p satellites measure the concentration of a number of atmospheric gasses, including nitrogen dioxide, methane and ozone. Measurements are available on a daily basis at a fairly high resolution (1km), allowing for the detection of localized sources of pollution such as oil refineries or power plants. For example, see this [Bellingcat article](https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/04/15/what-oil-satellite-technology-and-iraq-can-tell-us-about-pollution/) in which Wim Zwijnenburg and I trace pollution to specific facilities operated by multinational oil companies in Iraq.
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) provides similar data at a l
## Mineral Deposits
![Zinc deposits across Central Africa](../images/mining.jpg)
![Zinc deposits across Central Africa](images/mining.jpg)
Mining activities often play an important role in conflict. According to an influential [study](https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20150774), "the historical rise in mineral prices might explain up to one-fourth of the average level of violence across African countries" between 1997 and 2010. Data on the location of mineral deposits can be used to identify areas where mining activities are likely to be taking place, and several such datasets are available in Google Earth Engine.
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ Mining activities often play an important role in conflict. According to an infl
## Fires
![Detected fires over Ukraine since 27/02/2022 showing the frontline of the war](../images/fires.jpg)
![Detected fires over Ukraine since 27/02/2022 showing the frontline of the war](images/fires.jpg)
Earth-observing satellites can detect "thermal anomalies" (fires) from space. NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) provides daily data on active fires in near real time, going back to the year 2000. Carlos Gonzales wrote a comprehensive [Bellingcat article](https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/10/04/scorched-earth-using-nasa-fire-data-to-monitor-war-zones/) on the use of FIRMS to monitor war zones from Ukraine to Ethiopia. The map above shows that FIRMS detected fires over Eastern Ukraine trace the frontline of the war.
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ FIRMS data are derived from the MODIS satellite, but only show the central locat
## Population Density Estimates
![Population density estimates around Pyongyang, North Korea](../images/pop.jpg)
![Population density estimates around Pyongyang, North Korea](images/pop.jpg)
Sometimes, we may want to get an estimate of the population in a specific area to ballpark how many people might be affected by a natural disaster, a counteroffensive or a missile strike. You can't really Google "what is the population in this rectangle I've drawn in Northeastern Syria?" and get a good answer. Luckily, there are several spatial population datasets hosted in GEE that let you do just that. Some, such as WorldPop, provide estimated breakdowns by age and sex as well. However, it is extremely important to bear in mind that these are **estimates**, and will **not** take into account things like conflict-induced displacement. For example, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's LandScan program has released high-resolution population data for Ukraine, but this pertains to the pre-war population distribution. The war has radically changed this distribution, so these estimates no longer reflect where people *are*. Still, this dataset could be used to roughly estimate displacement or the number of people who will need new housing.
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ Sometimes, we may want to get an estimate of the population in a specific area t
## Building Footprints
![Building footprints in Mariupol, Ukraine colored by whether the building is damaged](../images/footprints.png)
![Building footprints in Mariupol, Ukraine colored by whether the building is damaged](images/footprints.png)
A building footprint dataset contains the two dimensional outlines of buildings in a given area. Currently, GEE hosts one building footprint dataset which covers all of Africa. In 2022, Microsoft released a free [global building footprint dataset](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/maps/building-footprints), though to use it in Earth Engine you'll have to download it from their [GitHub page](https://github.com/Microsoft/USBuildingFootprints) and upload it manually to GEE. The same goes for OpenStreetMap (OSM), a public database of building footprints, roads, and other features that also contains useful annotations for many buildings indicating their use. [Benjamin Strick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJkV3l5Haq0) has a great youtube video on conducting investigations using OSM data.
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ A building footprint dataset contains the two dimensional outlines of buildings
## Administrative Boundaries
![Second-level administrative boundaries in Yemen](../images/fao_gaul.jpg)
![Second-level administrative boundaries in Yemen](images/fao_gaul.jpg)
Spatial analysis often has to aggregate information over a defined area; we may want to assess the total burned area by province in Ukraine, or count the number of Saudi airstrikes by district in Yemen. For that, we need data on these administrative boundaries. GEE hosts several such datasets at the country, province, and district (or equivalent) level.
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ Spatial analysis often has to aggregate information over a defined area; we may
## Global Power Plant Database
![Power plants in Ukraine colored by type](../images/power.jpg)
![Power plants in Ukraine colored by type](images/power.jpg)
The Global Power Plant Database is a comprehensive, open source database of power plants around the world. It centralizes power plant data to make it easier to navigate, compare and draw insights. Each power plant is geolocated and entries contain information on plant capacity, generation, ownership, and fuel type. As of June 2018, the database includes around 28,500 power plants from 164 countries. The database is curated by the [World Resources Institute (WRI)](https://datasets.wri.org/dataset/globalpowerplantdatabase).