The Satellite Sentinel Project launches on Dec. 30, using satellite images, field reports and Google mapping technology to monitor the border between North and South Sudan. South Sudan votes in a succession referendum next month, which may create conflict. At the center of this effort is actor and activist George Clooney who is providing the funding through his organization Not On Our Watch over the next six months at a cost of $750,000, primarily for images from private imaging satellites.
The Harvard Humanitarian Institute, will have three full-time analysts poring over satellite images provided by the United Nations’ Operational Satellite Applications Programme, and will gather other research from public and private sources to determine the “human rights context” around the historic vote. The aim is to track movement of troops and civilians to detect signs of impending conflict.
Findings will be published online at http://www.satsentinel.org/
