The United Nations has activated its emergency mapping satellite service following a devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday (Feb. 6).
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake brought about widespread destruction all through Turkey and northwest Syria, claiming the lives of greater than 2,000 folks and injuring 1000’s extra, Reuters reports (opens in new tab). The epicenter of the 11-mile-deep (18 kilometers) earthquake seems to have been alongside the southern border of Turkey simply west of the town of Gaziantep, according to data (opens in new tab) collected by the USA Geological Survey.
Within the wake of the damaging earthquake, the United Nations Satellite Centre (opens in new tab) (UNOSAT) announced via Twitter on Monday (opens in new tab)(Feb. 6) that it has activated its emergency mapping service, which “gives satellite picture evaluation throughout humanitarian emergencies associated to disasters, advanced emergencies and battle conditions.”Â
Associated: Earthquakes: What are they and how do they occur?
A reside map that comprises geospatial knowledge associated to the Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria may be found on UNOSAT’s website (opens in new tab). The map gives an outline of buildings that had been broken or doubtlessly broken by the earthquake, which may then be utilized by humanitarian reduction and catastrophe response teams as a way to finest reply to the still-unfolding disaster.
Teams reminiscent of United Nations places of work and companies, governmental companies, reduction organizations such because the Crimson Cross and Crimson Crescent and non-governmental humanitarian organizations can all request entry to the imagery collected by UNOSAT.
UNOSAT started in 2001 and is hosted on the European Group for Nuclear Analysis, or CERN. Its preliminary focus was to supply the United Nations with satellite evaluation and coaching for U.N. member states, however by 2003 the middle had expanded into providing speedy mapping providers for humanitarian efforts reminiscent of what’s at present unfolding in Turkey.Â
The middle does not operate its own satellites (opens in new tab), however as an alternative coordinates with U.N. member states to collect imagery from their governmental companies and personal satellite companies.Â
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