Improving Satellite Monitoring of Armed Conflicts

Very-high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery is increasingly used to visualize the effects of armed conflicts in near-real time. Yet these data, typically commercial, are generally released selectively or for a fee, impeding scientific and humanitarian applications. Such images also tend to focus on cities or infrastructure, obscuring the effects of war in rural or sparsely populated areas such as forests. To leverage VHR imagery for improved and more holistic conflict monitoring, we call for (a) archiving VHR images for scientific and humanitarian use; (b) producing analysis-ready, conflict-wide VHR mosaics to harmonize monitoring; and (c) forming a sustainably funded public VHR satellite program. International coordination on such a satellite could also support the transformation of VHR Earth observation (EO) data into a public good. Taking these three steps promises to revolutionize conflict monitoring, much in the way that opening access to lower-resolution EO data has stimulated new discoveries about the planet's ecosystems and human impacts. Broadening and standardizing access to and analysis of archived VHR imagery may improve understandings of war, empower and refine responses, and potentially, mitigate future conflicts.