Use case: cities and regions

Rapid damage mapping and emergency communication after disasters

After a flood, storm, wildfire or earthquake, satellite images show within hours or days which areas are affected and how badly buildings, roads and facilities are damaged. In Europe, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service produces these maps free of charge at the request of authorised users. Where ground networks fail, satellite communication keeps emergency teams connected.

Reference
UC-07
Technologies
  • Earth observation
  • Satellite communication
Industry
Challenge
Flooding and natural hazards
Updated
Published by
LETO SPACE

01Technology

How satellites map damage after a disaster

After a disaster, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) provides geospatial information within hours or days. The service is available around the clock, every day of the year, and covers the extent of the event and the damage to buildings, transport and facilities Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 7 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceAbout the Copernicus EMS On-Demand Mapping serviceaccessed 7 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu). Its first products are derived from the earliest suitable image taken after the event Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceRapid Mapping for Emergency Response Portfolioaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu).

Resolution decides what an image can show. Images with a resolution of 1 metre or better suit detailed assessments of damage to infrastructure; images between 4 and 10 metres suit landscape-scale analysis such as large-area flood mapping. In selected activations, aircraft and drones supplement the satellites, and aircraft can often deliver even in cloudy weather Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceUsing Earth Observation Dataaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu). Radar satellites observe by day and night and in all weather conditions Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).

The service delivers its results as standardised products Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceRapid Mapping for Emergency Response Portfolioaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu):

  • First estimate: a very fast, rough assessment of the most affected places.
  • Delineation: the impact and extent of the event, such as the flooded or burnt area, with updates on request.
  • Grading: the degree of damage, where it occurs and how far it extends.
  • Situational report: an online summary of the event and its impacts, started within 4 hours of the activation and updated until the activation closes.

02Access

How to request the maps

Only authorised users can activate CEMS rapid mapping, among them the National Focal Points of EU Member States and of the countries in the European Civil Protection Mechanism. A city, region or other public authority coordinates with the relevant authorised user and channels its request through them Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceWho can request the serviceaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu). The mapping is free of charge, and all data and results are published for viewing and download, except for sensitive activations Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 7 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceAbout the Copernicus EMS On-Demand Mapping serviceaccessed 7 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu).

For major disasters worldwide, the International Charter Space and Major Disasters provides satellite data and derived maps to relief organisations. Registered users, typically national disaster management authorities, request it through a single access point that operates around the clock at no cost Source: Disasters Charter, International Charter Space and Major Disasters, accessed 8 October 2026International Charter Space and Major DisastersWhat is the Charter? The International Charter: Space and Major Disastersaccessed 8 October 2026Open source (opens disasterscharter.org).

03Technology

Emergency communication via satellite

In large emergencies, when ground infrastructure collapses, secure and interoperable satellite communication becomes essential Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 1 December 2025EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)Using Space to Save Lives on Earth1 December 2025Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).

For public authorities in the EU, GOVSATCOM is the component of the EU Space Programme for secure satellite communication, used in particular in crisis management. Its hub works around the clock as a single point that connects governmental users with satellite communication resources Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 6 October 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)GOVSATCOM Hubaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). The hub started initial operations in January 2026 and provides secure satellite capacity pooled by five Member States Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 10 March 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)Cyprus Completes First Operational Use of EU GOVSATCOM HUB Services, Marking a Milestone in European Secure Connectivity10 March 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). Users are authorised by their Member State, and their access rights are managed by the competent GOVSATCOM authority that each participating Member State designates Source: European Union, EUR-Lex, 12 May 2021European Union, EUR-LexRegulation (EU) 2021/696 of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme12 May 2021Open source (opens eur-lex.europa.eu). In October 2025, a live demonstration by the EUSPA-funded research project GEXTRECS used secure satellite communication to deliver Copernicus Emergency Management Service products and Galileo positioning information to first responders Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 1 December 2025EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)Using Space to Save Lives on Earth1 December 2025Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).

When ground networks fail, the GOVSATCOM hub connects governmental users with satellite communication resources around the clock, so command posts and teams in the affected area stay connected. In an October 2025 demonstration, secure satellite communication delivered CEMS products and Galileo positions to first responders. Schematic drawing. Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)

04Deliverables

What you get

05Limits

Limits

06Next steps

How we help

Free maps help only if the administration knows how to request them, who reads them and how they reach the field. We help you map these routes and the people involved, specify what a damage mapping or satellite communication service must deliver in requirements and procurement, and test the chain in a pilot or exercise during implementation.

For commercial services, Spacegraph, our discovery platform, has a use-case category "Disaster response & damage".

07Use cases

Frequently asked questions

Q1Can a city request Copernicus rapid mapping directly?

Only authorised users can request the service, for example the National Focal Points of EU Member States. A public authority that is not an authorised user coordinates with the relevant authorised user and channels its request through them Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceWho can request the serviceaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu). The city's civil protection staff should know this route before an emergency.

Q2How fast are the first maps available?

Rapid mapping delivers geospatial information within hours or days of an activation. A first estimate product gives a very fast but rough view of the most affected places, and an online situational report starts within 4 hours of the activation Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceRapid Mapping for Emergency Response Portfolioaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu). The first maps rest on the first available satellite image, which may be partly covered by clouds or cover only part of the area Source: Copernicus EMS, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Copernicus Emergency Management ServiceUsing Earth Observation Dataaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu).

Q3How do we prepare, and what does a pilot look like?

Prepare before the emergency: know the request route, keep base maps of critical assets up to date, and agree how damage maps reach the teams in the field. A pilot can test this chain in an exercise, together with a satellite communication link for a command post. Our consulting overview shows the path from the problem to the pilot.

Sources (10)

  1. Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Rapid Mapping for Emergency Response Portfolio (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu)
  2. Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 7 October 2026About the Copernicus EMS On-Demand Mapping service (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu)
  3. Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Using Earth Observation Data (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu)
  4. Copernicus Emergency Management Service, accessed 6 October 2026Who can request the service (opens mapping.emergency.copernicus.eu)
  5. International Charter Space and Major Disasters, accessed 8 October 2026What is the Charter? The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters (opens disasterscharter.org)
  6. EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 6 October 2026GOVSATCOM Hub (opens euspa.europa.eu)
  7. EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 10 March 2026Cyprus Completes First Operational Use of EU GOVSATCOM HUB Services, Marking a Milestone in European Secure Connectivity (opens euspa.europa.eu)
  8. European Union, EUR-Lex, 12 May 2021Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (opens eur-lex.europa.eu)
  9. EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 1 December 2025Using Space to Save Lives on Earth (opens euspa.europa.eu)
  10. EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 1 (opens euspa.europa.eu)

Contact

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