The Center for Satellite based Crisis Information (ZKI) is an institution of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen.

At ZKI Earth Observation data such as satellite or aerial imagery as well as geo data is acquired and analysed in order to generate up-to-date situational awareness information before, during or after a disaster situation or in case of major events. All crisis information is produced according to the ZKI users’ requirements and provided for instance as maps, geo-pdf, web services or text dossiers. Main national and international user groups are political decision makers, situation centers and relief organisations. Many ZKI products are published at the website. In addition, consultancy, technology transfer as well as trainings and exercises are provided. The close interlocking between research, development and service is an enormous strength of the ZKI.

At national and international level ZKI cooperates with different partners from research and industry. It is closely networked with administrative partners as well as non-governmental organisations and consists mainly of the three services ZKI-DE, Copernicus EMS and the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”.

Projektstart: AIFER - Künstliche Intelligenz zur Analyse und Fusion von Erdbeobachtungs- und Internetdaten zur Unterstützung bei der Lageerfassung und -einschätzung (02/2021 - 01/2023) Häufigkeit und Intensität von Naturkatastrophen nehmen stetig zu und stellen Behörden und Organisationen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben (BOS) vor zunehmend größere Herausforderungen in Bezug auf die Verfügbarkeit und Nutzung von echtzeitnahen und großflächigen Informationen zur Erfassung und Bewertung der Lage. Zudem gibt es bisher keine Lösungen, heterogene Massendaten, wie Erdbeobachtungs- und Internetdaten, automatisiert auszuwerten und so zu fusionieren, dass ein gesamtheitliches und dynamisch aktualisiertes Lagebild entsteht. AIFER entwickelt Methoden der Künstlichen Intelligenz (KI), um Informationen aus Satelliten-, Luftbild und Drohnendaten sowie aus Geo-sozialen Medien und Nachrichten automatisiert zu extrahieren und intelligent zu fusionieren. More

Crisis management system for natural disasters 09 February 2021 Disasters require the perfect coordination of situation rooms, rapid response teams and public authorities. Major natural disasters, complex danger situations, and cross-border events stretch first responders to their limits. Methodologies and technologies developed In the HEIMDALL project can help those involved to prepare for and effectively manage such scenarios. More

DLR supports detection of Cyclone Eloise’s impacts on Eswatini 02 February 2021 Several Southern African countries were hit by Cyclone Eloise, which made landfall near Beira, Mozambique on 23rd of January 2021. Although it mostly dissipated on its path over Southern Africa, several thousands of people are affected by its impacts. Amongst the most affected countries, Eswatini has been struck by strong winds, heavy rainfalls and rising river water levels. More

Success story: Handover of ZKI-DE service to BKG 21 December 2020 The Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) at the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) has developed "ZKI-DE", a service specifically for federal institutions. It has been successfully operated for eight years. At the end of 2020, this ZKI-DE service will be handed over to the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG). For German authorities, the federal continuation is an important step. More

ZKI participates in development of remote controlled truck mission for WFP 27 October 2020 As part of a new collaborative project, researchers from the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and a consortium of additional DLR institutes and technology partners are investigating how aid supplies can be safely brought to their destinations using remote-controlled trucks. More

Fire detection on Kilimandjaro -- October 2020 21 October 2020 Analyses of satellite data show the spatial extent of the forest and brush fires on Africa’s highest mountain and their development over time. It is also possible to analyse and predict the degree of biomass combustion. Comparisons with the disastrous fires in Australia (late 2019, early 2020) and in California during the past few weeks come to mind. More

Artificial Intelligence supports the mapping of damages in Moria 08 September 2020 During the night of September 8, 2020, several fires broke out in the refugee camp Moria on Lesbos, Greece. Thousands of refugees were forced to leave their shelters. The ZKI maps the camp damages with support from artificial intelligence. More

Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon 07 August 2020 On August 4, 2020, a heavy explosion in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, killed over a hundred people and left many hundred thousand homeless. The explosion took place in the harbor area at 18:08 local time. It was probably caused by a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse in the port. More

Members of the Bundestag Karsten Klein and Lukas Köhler visit ZKI 30 July 2020 A fact-finding visit led Bundestag members Karsten Klein (FDP) and Dr. Lukas Köhler (FDP) to DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen on 29 July 2020. The FDP politicians were particularly interested in applications in the field of environment and climate. In the Earth Observation Center (EOC), the delegates then discussed the possible applications of earth observation. The focus was on the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI). More

ZKI-Support for India and 6 other disaster regions 17 July 2020 Within the framework of the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters', DLR-ZKI has been activated seven times in the past two weeks, six of the activations being due to heavy rainfall with subsequent flooding and landslides in Asia (Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan, and Myanmar). More