Title
Remote Sensing for Disasters. What Emergency Managers Actually Need to Know (Dal
Record Type
Video
URL
https://youtu.be/eyujj9Rc4_0
Contact
Dale Viola
Year
2,022
Publisher
Imara IHG

Summary
Diego Otegui and Dale Viola discuss the practical use of geospatial intelligence in disasters, moving beyond tech buzzwords to operational realities. They cover the nuances of remote vs. direct sensing, the technical hurdles of bandwidth and data processing, and why cross-sector relationships are vital for accessing data. The talk emphasizes that technology is only effective when emergency managers know how to ask the right questions and translate raw data into timely, actionable insights.
Description
How do emergency managers actually use satellite imagery, sensors, and remote data during disasters?
In this in-depth conversation, Diego Otegui (Professor of Crisis & Disaster Management) speaks with Dale Viola, an experienced emergency manager and geospatial intelligence practitioner, about what remote and direct sensing really look like in practice — far beyond the buzzwords.
Using real disaster examples from volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, island nations, and remote communities, this discussion covers:

The difference between remote sensing and direct sensing
* What satellite imagery can and cannot tell us
* Why relationships matter more than technology
* Who owns sensors — and why access is not automatic
* How long data actually takes to become actionable
* Why resolution, bandwidth, and processing matter
* How emergency managers should ask for data (even if they’re not technical)
* The limits of technology in real-world response operations