International Charter on Space and Major Disasters

International Charter on Space and Major Disasters
Name	International Charter on Space and Major Disasters
Formation	2000
Type	Non-profit organization
Purpose	Emergency mapping and disaster response using space-based assets
Headquarters	Paris
Membership	Space agencies and satellite operators

International Charter on Space and Major Disasters is a collaborative mechanism that provides timely Earth observation satellite data and derived products to support response to natural disasters and technological disasters worldwide. Founded by major space agencies, the Charter coordinates access to remote sensing assets from multiple national and commercial space agencys and satellite operators to assist humanitarian aid agencies, United Nations offices, and national authorities during crises. It has been activated for floods, earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, and industrial accidents and connects capabilities from agencies across Europe, North America, Asia, and South America.

Background and Origins

The Charter was established in 2000 through an agreement between the European Space Agency, the Centre National d'Études Spatiales, and the Canadian Space Agency following high-profile responses to events such as the 1999 Izmit earthquake, the 1998 Hurricane Mitch, and the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The initiative built on precedents including the Group on Earth Observations and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, aligning with humanitarian efforts by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Early meetings involved representatives from the European Commission, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and national disaster management authorities such as France’s Ministry of the Interior and Canada’s Public Safety Canada.

Objectives and Scope

The Charter’s principal objective is rapid provision of satellite imagery and derived geospatial products to support disaster response for events including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, wildfires, oil spills, and industrial accidents. It aims to support operational actors like the United Nations Development Programme, World Food Programme, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and national civil protection agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency and Protezione Civile with data to inform damage assessment, logistics, and situational awareness. The Charter’s remit is international; activations can be requested by authorized users in sovereign states or by international organizations under humanitarian mandates such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises founding and participating agencies including European Space Agency, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, Canadian Space Agency, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, later joined by agencies like Indian Space Research Organisation, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Brazilian Space Agency, Argentine Space Agency, UK Space Agency, and commercial partners. Governance is administered by an Executive Secretariat hosted by one of the Member agencies and guided by a Steering Committee with representatives from signatories including European Commission, SpaceX-affiliated entities, and national civil protection organizations. Decision-making follows agreed activation protocols and data-sharing policies influenced by instruments such as the Charter of the United Nations and international data access principles endorsed by the Group on Earth Observations.

Activation Procedure and Operations

Authorized users—typically staff from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, national civil protection authorities like Italy Civil Protection Department or Federal Emergency Management Agency, and recognized humanitarian organizations—submit activation requests through the Charter’s operational channels. The Secretariat validates requests, coordinates participating satellites from agencies such as European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Indian Space Research Organisation, and taskings are executed to collect optical, radar, and thermal data. Acquired imagery is processed into products—orthorectified maps, change detection layers, flood extent delineations—distributed to requestors and partners such as Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Data Products and Satellite Contributors

The Charter integrates data from a wide range of sensors: optical systems flown on Sentinel-2, Landsat, and commercial platforms; synthetic aperture radar from Sentinel-1, RADARSAT, and RISAT; thermal sensors on platforms like MODIS and national meteorological satellites; and high-resolution taskable imagery from providers associated with private satellite operators. Products include rapid damage assessment maps, baseline reference imagery, flood inundation maps, burn scar maps, and multi-temporal change detection layers used by agencies such as Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Data sharing follows embargo and licensing practices negotiated among members and aligns with open-data movements led by European Commission and United States Geological Survey.

Major Activations and Impactful Responses

Notable activations include responses to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2017 Hurricane Maria, the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires, and major flood events in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In each case, imagery from contributors such as Landsat, Sentinel-1, RADARSAT-2, TerraSAR-X, and commercial providers supported situational analysis for International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Health Organization, and national responders, informing evacuation planning, humanitarian logistics, and post-disaster damage estimation.

Challenges, Criticism, and Future Developments

Challenges include coordination across disparate legal regimes represented by members such as Roscosmos and China National Space Administration, latency and tasking constraints for sun-synchronous optical platforms, and data licensing limits affecting distribution to actors like Non-Governmental Organizations. Critics note gaps in coverage for complex emergencies, limited integration with commercial real-time analytics from firms such as Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies, and reliance on volunteer mapping networks like Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. Future developments discussed by stakeholders including European Commission, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Group on Earth Observations involve expanding membership, incorporating constellations for near-real-time monitoring, formalizing interoperability with services such as Copernicus Emergency Management Service, and strengthening governance to improve responsiveness to climate-driven disaster risk in regions represented by Small Island Developing States.

Category:Earth observation organizations