Persistent Monitoring and Mapping of Floods Globally Based on the Iceye Sar Imaging Constellation

Abstract

ICEYE operates the world's first small constellation of X-band SAR imaging satellites. Improvements in the availability and agility of SAR instruments, spatial resolution, and temporal revisit of the constellation has granted ICEYE unprecedented capacity to persistently monitor flood events and provide actionable information for disaster response and flood insurance in urban and agricultural areas. Based on the analysis of the ICEYE SAR images, we consistently identified and mapped the extent and depth of over 60 flood events on a global scale. This paper shares some technical lessons and demonstrates the rapid progress of SAR-based solutions in providing timely and accurate information about natural disasters.