Question: How is the UN currently leveraging new tools like satellite imagery or predictive analytics to anticipate movement patterns before a disaster even strikes?

Alex Cartwright answered on 18 Feb 2026:

Great question – this is exactly the kind of area where geography knowledge and technology come together.

I’m not fully across everything the United Nations (UN) is doing on prediction, so I don’t want to pretend I am. I have worked and volunteered with differing UN teams, often after disasters – so I can share how some ways these tools are used in practice.

After disasters like earthquakes, cyclones or volcanic eruptions, satellite imagery is used very quickly to assess damage. For example, after the Vanuatu earthquake and tsunami event (2024 Port Vila earthquake), we utilised satellite images to help show which areas had building collapse and which roads were potentially cut off. Some satellites rely on clear skies, but radar satellites (like those using InSAR technology) can “see” through cloud, which is really important during storms.

This information helps the affected country understand what has happened and where to prioritise resources. It also helps other countries prepare aid (because support can’t just be sent without a formal request – so we try and ready ourselves as much as possible so that when a request is received, we are already prepped).

When it comes to predicting or understanding movement patterns, anonymous mobile phone data can be incredibly useful. In New Zealand, during a nationwide tsunami warning a few years ago, people evacuated. After the event, their mobile data helped show how people evacuated, where traffic built up, and which routes became choke points. That data can then be used to improve future evacuation planning. Not totally predictive, instead using one event to inform the next.

The UN also coordinates international search and rescue through INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group). While many people think this is just about rescuers clearing rubble, a big part of the system is actually about data management, mapping, and coordination. If you have GIS (mapping) skills, you can even volunteer into parts of this system.

Another really interesting tool is Doppler radar. While many people think of radar for tracking rain, similar technology can also be used to detect movement in slopes. In some places it’s used to monitor landslides, avalanches, or unstable rock faces above roads. The radar can detect tiny movements in the ground before a collapse happens, which can be connected to an automated system to set alarm off (avalanche alarm) or to change lights (e.g. traffic light either side of rockfall area). USAR teams used something similar to monitor the slope above the recent deadly landslide here in New Zealand to help keep rescue teams safe.

The key thing is that prediction and response don’t rely on one tool. It’s about combining satellite imagery, radar, phone data, local knowledge, and predictive modelling to build the clearest picture possible.

Hopefully that was helpful. Here are some more topics if you want to learn more:
> Read about UN disaster coordination systems (like OCHA): https://www.unocha.org/united-nations-disaster-assessment-and-coordination
> Watch about how GIS helps Urban SAR https://mediaspace.esri.com/media/t/1_rfuzdkiq/238782313
> Search about how mobile phone data is used in disaster evacuation studies.