3 Remote Sensing Applications for Supporting Relief Organizations

In order to make the humanitarian work environment more efficient, international reality requires the integration of humanitarian and humanitarian relief work, as well as risk assessment and disaster mitigation with a new approach that make it more effective and faster the response and preparedness for disasters by using remote sensing (RS) technologies and geographic information systems (GIS). The need to prepare for a world full of unexpected disasters is more evident than ever, since pandemics, floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires are expected to become more frequent and intense in light of global climate change. Preparedness for disasters and the ability to take the necessary measures at the right time and in the right place can save many lives and protect the livelihoods of societies everywhere in the present and future. Hence the importance of employing these technologies when monitoring and following up on disasters that require humanitarian intervention for the purpose of relief work. These technologies, based on satellite visuals, are very efficient because of their speed and accuracy in monitoring, and their success in analysis and processing. This study sheds light on remote sensing and its role in monitoring the flood of Al- Manaqil locality in Gezira State, Sudan, on 8/23/2022, using the satellite visuals of the Landsat TM 8 satellite of Gezira before and af t er the flood. The analysis is based on the descriptive analytical approach based mainly on digital data derived from satellite visualization and processing using RS. The study stresses the importance of remote sensing in determining the extent and rate of flooding in neighboring lands and detecting the change in the land cover during and after the occurrence of the flood. 5% of the total area of Al-Manaqil locality was flooded, which had a direct impact on agricultural production and damage to grazing, especially since the Gezira project represents great economic importance for the State of Sudan. The study also produced digital maps of the affected places and the proportions and areas of land cover after the flood, as well as the spatial distribution of relief organizations, which supports the decision for relief organizations. The study recommended the need for a more widespread spatial distribution of the points of the humanitarian relief centers of local and international organizations, and not to concentrate them in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.