Remote sensing of violent conflict: eyes from above

Abstract

The use of remote-sensing technology to study violent conflict has increased considerably over the last 5–10 years. This article surveys this growing field to show which conflict-related impacts are and are not currently possible to detect from afar. A brief overview of the principles of remote-sensing technology and sensor characteristics is provided, followed by a review and discussion of the literature, organized by temporal delay in the visible manifestation of the conflict impact from minutes for structural damage to years for changes to land use/land cover. Remote-sensing technology is most valuable in hard-to-reach and/or dangerous conflict zones where field observations are spotty or non-existent. Although good ground reference data are important for verifying the accuracy of observations derived from remote-sensing imagery, it is possible to corroborate or refute suspect reports with appropriate imagery and analysis techniques.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to John O’Loughlin and Terrie Gottstein who provided instructive feedback on the manuscript, and to Tim Warner (editor) and the reviewers whose comments further improved the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation [grant number 0964687], [grant number 1329125].