Use Cases

Is there forced labor in your t-shirt?

For years, the communist party systematically oppressed minorities such as the Uyghurs. Our satellite analysis proves that in the Kashgar region, 96 percent of the cotton fields were harvested by humans, not machines. This is where the high-quality cotton for export grows. And that's where most of the internment camps are located.

Gaza Conflict Tracker

For the political magazine Panorama, we measured and visualised the extent of the destruction in Gaza one month after the start of the war.

Zwischen Asphalt und Beton

Seit Jahren wollen Kommunen graue Flächen durch Grün ersetzen. Doch tun sie das wirklich? CORRECTIV und Vertical52 haben drei Städte mit Hilfe einer aufwändigen Satellitenrecherche untersucht. Sie zeigt: Tatsächlich findet Entsiegelung nicht ausreichend statt, um Menschen vor Klimafolgen wie Hitze und Hochwasser zu schützen.

Earthquake

On 6 February 2023, Turkey experienced the worst earthquake in its recent history. It shook large regions of the country as well as northern Syria. Our SAR analysis for the NZZ after the earthquake shows that 23,800 houses were damaged. A year and a half later, Turkey is still busy cleaning up.

Europe is on fire

Europe is on fire. This year's forest fires are devastating. Never before in August have so many and such large areas of fire been recorded. An overview from space.

Der Krieg in Zahlen

Seit Israels Premier Netanjahu nach dem Terroranschlag der Hamas das Ziel ausgab, die Terrororganisation zu vernichten, wird in Gaza gekämpft. Die Zerstörung und das Leid haben unvorstellbare Ausmaße angenommen. Gemeinsam mit der Süddeutschen Zeitung haben wir die Fakten zu einem Jahr Blutvergießen zusammen getragen.

Mica

Satellite images make it clear that there are far more illegal mica mines in India than previously thought - and more child labor than anywhere else.

Earthquake

On 6 February 2023, Turkey experienced the worst earthquake in its recent history. It shook large regions of the country as well as northern Syria. Our SAR analysis for the NZZ after the earthquake shows that 23,800 houses were damaged. A year and a half later, Turkey is still busy cleaning up.

Putin steals Ukrainian grain

Russia exports large quantities of stolen grain from Ukraine and sells it on the world market - a war crime according to international law experts. Freight lists document the scope and logistics for the first time. Our satellite imagery shows that after deactivating their transponder, the ships did indeed load at Sevastopol and arrive at Tartus in Syria.

Putins Palast

Der Kremlherr hat in Sotschi jahrelang Staatsgäste empfangen und wohl seine Geliebte besucht. Doch seit einigen Monaten meidet er die Stadt am Schwarzen Meer. Fürchtet er ukrainische Drohnenangriffe? Unsere Satellitenbilder deuten auf eine andere mögliche Erklärung.

Betrug bei Klimaschutzprojekten in China?

Mit Klimaschutzprojekten in China können Mineralöl-Konzerne in Deutschland ihre gesetzlich vorgegebenen Klimaziele erreichen. Für das ZDF haben wir entlarvt, dass viele davon nur auf dem Papier existieren.

Fraport

The State of Hesse has a stake in Fraport AG. And Fraport has a stake in St. Petersburg Airport. And Russian military aircraft of the Wagner troops take off and land there. This is proven by the satellite research of Vertical52 in cooperation with SZ, WDR and NDR.

The dream of the clean car

BMW claims to source the lithium for batteries from a sustainable manufacturer. But NDR research debunks this statement. Our radar data analysis is part of this month-long research for STRG_F, Panorama and the Tagesschau.

The century flood

The heavy rainfall in July led to a flood on the night of July 14 to 15, 2021, the likes of which had not previously been thought possible. In order to prevent such destruction in the future, the river needs more space, flood protection must be rethought, and people must sometimes back away from the banks, it was said. Our satellite images for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, however, cast doubt on whether this has been achieved.

Im Niemandsland: Wie Gaza systematisch zerstört wurde

Israels Bomben haben den Gazastreifen in Schutt und Asche gelegt. Unsere Radar-Analyse für den Stern zeigt den hohen Grad der Verwüstung. Eine Satellitenreise durch eine Ruinenlandschaft.

Gaza Conflict Tracker

Nach einem Jahr von Tod, Hunger und Leid sind die Palästinenser erschöpft. Gemeinsam mit der NZZ haben wir ein Jahr nach Beginn des Krieges die sinnlose Zerstörung aufgezeichnet.

What Russia is doing in occupied Mariupol

Hardly any other city in Ukraine was destroyed as badly as Mariupol. Now Putin wants to build a new, a Russian Mariupol on the ruins.

Der größte Zoo der Welt

Vantara in Indien soll eine Art Luxusherberge für in Not geratene Tiere sein, finanziert von einer der reichsten Familien der Welt. Doch wurden die Zehntausenden Tiere tatsächlich gerettet?

Customs madness from outer space

Donald Trump has destroyed more than five trillion dollars on the stock market with his customs chaos. It helps to keep calm and take a step back: we show you three examples of his trade policy: cars that made it to America in time, the island that he punished with the highest customs duty and, of course, the home of the Australian penguins, which are now also subject to customs duty.

The destruction of Myanmar

The violent earthquakes in Myanmar had their epicentre in an almost completely isolated region. Our images from space give an idea of their force.

Rise of clean energy from space

A new analysis shows how countries around the world are rapidly adding solar and wind capacity. To track changes since 2017, researchers created Global Renewables Watch, which maps all onshore wind and every large-scale solar farm in the world. Germany has increased its energy capacity from wind and solar power by almost 60 percent to 60,000 megawatts over the past eight years.

Satellite Data show Motion of Myanmar Earthquake

At about 12:50 pm local time on March 28 a magnitude 7.7 earthquake started near the city of Mandalay, Myanmar. Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used data from radar and optical satellites to visualize how the land moved during these quake.