Provinz Xinjiang West China
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.
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.
Jharkhand India
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.
Getreideklau
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.
Lithium
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.
Ahrtal
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.
Mariupol
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.
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.