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Radar and Optical Satellites

in Reporting on the War

Yevheniia Drozdova,

Data Journalist / Head of Data Journalism Section / Texty.org.ua

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Settlement: Yelnya, Smolensk Oblast, Russia

Coordinates: 54.60600, 33.15773

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Image from MAXAR�November, 2021

Image from SENTINEL-1

November, 2021

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Image from MAXAR�Past period

Image from SENTINEL-1

Past period

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Visualizing shipping lanes from SENTINEL-1. Source: cesbio.cnrs.fr

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VIIRS Nighttime Lights

Lost Night Lights

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Drone footage shows Russian tanks on the Zhytomyr highway.

7 km from Kyiv

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Mass murder on the Zhytomyr highway, 7 km from Kyiv

High-resolution images for detecting building damage. Images: Planet.com

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High-resolution images for detecting building damage. Images: Planet.com

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Using high-quality satellite imagery to study and reconstruct

ground situations. Images: Planet.com

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Using high-quality satellite imagery to study and reconstruct

ground situations. Images: Planet.com

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High-resolution images for detecting grain trucks in the port. Images: Planet.com

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Satellite imagery can also be used to identify agricultural crops

and to monitor crop yields

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Final Notes

Learn to extract value from medium-resolution imagery

Most freely available data — Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Landsat-8/9 — offers 10–30 m resolution. You can achieve a lot with it once you understand its limits and strengths.

Never delegate image analysis to an LLM

Language models like ChatGPT can’t interpret spectral data. If you’re unsure about your conclusions, consult a human expert — don’t ask an LLM.

Don’t wait for access — ask for it

Reach out to Planet, Airbus, Maxar, ICEYE, or others if you need high-resolution imagery. Clear, well-defined projects may get free or trial access.

Automate advanced processing

Use Google Earth Engine (GEE) or / and Python.