Earth observation based crisis information — Emergency mapping services and recent operational developments

Over the last years, geospatial and Earth Observation technologies have become essential tools to support the Civil Protection and Disaster Management community by providing value-added crisis information. Several emergency mapping mechanisms have been established at different (inter)national levels. The Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt; DLR) is involved in several services and research projects focusing on the development of the operational services, methods, and products to ensure a continuous improvement. In this paper, an overview of emergency mapping, its services, and recent ZKI developments for Earth Observation based crisis information e.g. 3D mapping and real-time provision of aerial images - tested in an exercise on flood mapping and used for situational awareness during a major event are presented.