Climate change severely intensifies natural disasters, having caused thousands of deaths and $3 trillion in economic losses over the last two decades. Satellite-based Emergency Mapping (SEM) – obtaining and processing satellite imagery from affected areas and providing this data to decision makers – is crucial for efficient disaster response, but faces significant challenges. The current SEM activation process is hindered by centralization, manual activation and political friction.

Strict SEM protocol roles can lead to activation times of up to 80 hours – the first hours and days after a disaster are critical in minimizing loss of lives and costs, so any time wasted in this period is highly relevant. Manual activation across regions and countries can cause further delays, especially when disasters happen in remote areas or during off-hours. Human perception of disaster severity is also often biased: an event with less “shock effect” or media coverage (eg. an earthquake classified under level 7 at the Richter scale) tends to generate a slower reaction by SEM stakeholders, despite causing a very high number of casualties.

Additionally, geopolitical friction between developed countries (who usually provide the data) and developing countries (where disasters usually cause the most damage and loss of lives) can impede timely assistance. These issues result in delayed SEM activation, compromised response coordination, increased loss of lives and higher recovery costs. SpaceDAO is developing pioneering technology and processes to address these challenges, improve Disaster Response Management and save lives.