Recently, an incredible story appeared in the Washington Post Magazine. “These Satellite Images Document an Atrocity” by Robin Mejia details how Amnesty International worked with a geographer and others at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to compare satellite images of areas in Zimbabwe and the Darfur region of Sudan. The result was an unmistakable view of the recent razing of settlements which has held up against the denials of the governments of these countries. The site Eyes on Darfur has the details.

Comparing imagery to detect change is nothing new. It is one of the main uses of aerial imagery. Such comparison has been done by everyone from farmers to land use planners for decades. Intelligence analysts compare imagery to detect movement of resources or other relevant changes. But the use of satellite imagery by watchdog and humanitarian organizations is new. In the past, the images were difficult to access and expensive to purchase. As the economics change, expansion of the uses of imagery is inevitable.

American intelligence analysts allegedly saw aerial photos of the German-run concentation camps during World War II and had some idea what they were. But the public did not see these images at the time. Just as radio, television, and the Internet have tremendous effects on the public’s access to information, so does aerial imagery.

The whole world is now indeed watching. No place on earth is unseen. This has tremendous potential to help thwart those committing large scale atrocities as in Darfur, as such imagery is being used in bringing criminal charges against perpetrators.