The Challenge
In early January 2022, the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais experienced widespread flooding. Many of the rivers into and out of Belo Horizonte were particularly affected. Over 10,000 people were displaced on the Doce River in Governor Valadares alone. More widely, numbers of up to 55,000 people were affected by the floods within the state. The floods also caused several landslides across the area.
Satellite technologies are ideal for monitoring flood disasters and assisting in their prediction and early detection because of their persistent and global nature. GlobalTrust can analyse the images and scan the area. The governments can apply these data to send relief to the hardest damaged areas and by insurance, firms to analyse damages. The post-flood monitoring can also be used to track how the water recedes over time to show how successful present flood mitigation measures are.
Our Solution
GlobalTrust worked on this project with the Satellite Applications Catapult. We chose three areas of interest to demonstrate the value and power of using satellite imagery for flood monitoring: Governor Valadares, Ipatinga and Patos de Minas.
We measured the water extent, turbidity and chlorophyll-a of the three areas. We monitored it for several years to create an analysis with insights into the causes and future prevention.
