WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A Colorado company has released pictures showing the devastation in Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
DigitalGlobe’s satellites produced some of the most detailed images of the damage from the hurricanes.
Before-and-after pictures are also giving first responders on the ground some much-needed help.
A project manager for the company in Westminster said oftentimes satellite images give the first view of a badly damaged area, sometimes just minutes after a natural disaster takes place.
Pre-event pictures also give the most accurate lay of the land because some maps might not include new communities and roads.
“So you can plan like where are we going to land airplanes? Are the airports even functional? Where are we going to bring in boats? What beaches are able to be accessed? What harbors are navigable?” DigitalGlobe’s Deke Young said about the questions the images can answer for first responders.
“As you`re driving your relief teams out there you need to know how you can access these areas.”
DigitalGlobe is a company with paying clients such as governments, oil and gas companies and aviation companies.
But when it comes to disasters, it makes that data available to everyone.
In the past, DigitalGlobe has released images of Nepal after an earthquake and North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew.