From government bodies, United Nations agencies, Red Cross societies, and NGOs to 50,000 individual contributors in 40 countries, an interconnected global community is using remotely-sensed imagery from satellites and drones to derive value and “color in” the complex detail in seemingly blank areas of the map as part of the Missing Maps collaborative.

The resolution of images is incredible at up to 0.3 meters. This means that one pixel of imagery on your laptop screen corresponds to an ultra-precise 30 cm by 30 cm square on the ground. This is enough to clearly make out an individual car, a refugee’s tented shelter, or the surface type of a road.

These organizations and individuals are creating map data in response to challenges relevant for them. Many times, these are also the world’s most difficult challenges. At the time of writing, Médecins Sans Frontières is sourcing volunteers to map Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp housing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The American Red Cross is mapping communities in El Salvador to increase knowledge of disaster risks and increase preparedness.

Read the full article on satellite imagery by Tyler Radford at Devex International Development