Program Structure

Module 1: Why Satellites Matter for Climate and Disasters

• Earth observation as a “global sensor network”: coverage, consistency, and repeatability.
• Climate monitoring vs disaster response: long-term trends vs rapid situational awareness.
• Key use cases: drought, heatwaves, floods, wildfires, cyclones, coastal change.
• What satellites can’t do alone: ground truthing and local context needs.

Module 2: Satellite Basics (Orbits, Swaths, and Revisit)

• Orbit types: LEO vs GEO and what each is good for (overview).
• Revisit time and temporal resolution: why “how often” matters.
• Spatial resolution vs coverage trade-off: city-scale vs regional/global monitoring.
• Sensor footprints, swaths, and mosaicking concepts.

Module 3: Sensors and What They Measure

• Optical imaging: land cover, vegetation, water, and visible impacts.
• Thermal sensing: land surface temperature and heat stress indicators.
• Microwave sensing: precipitation and soil moisture concepts (overview).
• Radar (SAR): imaging through clouds/smoke and day-night capability.

Module 4: Resolution, Calibration, and Data Quality

• Spatial, temporal, spectral, and radiometric resolution—simple interpretation.
• Atmospheric effects and clouds: why preprocessing matters.
• Georeferencing basics: aligning layers correctly for mapping.
• Uncertainty and error sources: how to communicate confidence responsibly.

Module 5: Satellite Products for Climate Monitoring

• Vegetation and drought indicators: NDVI/EVI concepts and anomaly mapping.
• Land surface temperature and urban heat island monitoring.
• Snow/ice and water resources: seasonal monitoring concepts.
• Sea level/coastal change overview: shoreline change and storm surge context.

Module 6: Flood Monitoring and Rapid Mapping

• Flood extent mapping: optical vs SAR approaches and when to use each.
• Pre-event and post-event comparison: change detection concept.
• Exposure overlays: population, roads, hospitals, critical infrastructure.
• Producing decision-ready outputs: maps, stats, and priority zones.

Module 7: Wildfire and Smoke Monitoring

• Fire detection basics: hotspots and burn scar mapping concepts.
• Smoke and air quality context: plume tracking and exposure awareness (overview).
• Post-fire impacts: soil erosion risk and vegetation recovery monitoring.
• Operational considerations: timeliness, cloud/smoke challenges, and alerts.

Module 8: Cyclones, Storms, and Coastal Hazards

• Storm monitoring overview: cloud structure, rainfall, and wind-related indicators (concept).
• Coastal inundation and storm surge mapping basics (overview).
• Damage assessment: roof damage, vegetation loss, and infrastructure disruption cues.
• Supporting response: evacuation routes, shelter mapping, and access constraints.

Module 9: Earthquakes, Landslides, and Deformation with SAR (Overview)

• InSAR concept: measuring ground deformation from radar phase (high-level).
• Earthquake impacts: surface displacement mapping and risk insights.
• Landslide susceptibility cues: slope, rainfall, vegetation loss, and soil moisture (framework view).
• Limitations and validation: terrain, decorrelation, and ground confirmation needs.

Module 10: From Satellite Data to Action (Workflow + Reporting)

• Workflow: data discovery → preprocessing → indices → classification/change detection → maps.
• Rapid products vs detailed products: speed/accuracy trade-offs.
• Dashboards and communication: clear legends, uncertainty notes, and stakeholder-ready summaries.
• Ethics and privacy: sensitive locations, humanitarian mapping, and responsible sharing.

Final Project

• Create a Satellite-Based Climate/Disaster Response Blueprint for one scenario.
• Include: objective, study area, data sources (sensor types), processing steps, key indicators, map outputs, and decision workflow.
• Example projects: flood rapid mapping plan for a district, wildfire burn severity + recovery monitoring, drought early warning dashboard concept, cyclone damage assessment workflow, urban heat island monitoring plan.