Validity and feasibility of a satellite imagery-based method for rapid estimation of displaced populations.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Estimating the size of forcibly displaced populations is key to documenting their plight and allocating sufficient resources to their assistance, but is often not done, particularly during the acute phase of displacement, due to methodological challenges and inaccessibility. In this study, we explored the potential use of very high resolution satellite imagery to remotely estimate forcibly displaced populations.

Methods

Our method consisted of multiplying (i) manual counts of assumed residential structures on a satellite image and (ii) estimates of the mean number of people per structure (structure occupancy) obtained from publicly available reports. We computed population estimates for 11 sites in Bangladesh, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, K

SUBMITTER: Checchi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3558435 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature