An overview of the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters'

The International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' is an initiative on the part of the European, French, Canadian and Indian space agencies as well as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to pool together their space and ground resources in response to natural and technological disasters. Since the start of the Charter operations on November 1, 2000, it has been invoked several times to cover such events as a landslide in Slovenia, earthquakes (and resulting landslides) in El Salvador and India; oil spills off the coasts of Galapagos, Lebanon and Denmark; flooding in France, Germany, eastern Siberia and Indonesia; and volcanic eruptions in Italy and Congo. In all these cases, multi-satellite data and products were delivered to users to assist them in their relief efforts. The following is an account of the Charter operational procedure and brief descriptions of the various disasters for which satellite data was requested under the Charter.