Trends in Satellite-Based Crisis Management in Germany

Earth observation via satellite, airplanes and UAV provides valuable data for disaster management and civil security. In this study, we introduce the project “Environmental management with remote sensing for natural hazards and mapping as information for decision makers (FUNKIE)” and discuss the developments of the last 20 years in German and European satellite-based crisis management. The three main emergency management services in Germany are Copernicus EMS, ZKI, and ZKI-DE. Since the start of the Copernicus EMS, the service handles most activations. Most frequent scenarios for activations are floods, wild fires, storms, humanitarian crisis, earthquakes, and police investigations. Multiple data sets are used for the processing of the scenarios, but high-resolution optical data is the most valuable source of information and most frequently used.