The Pandemic Through Satellite Eyes: A Global Impact

🌍 Global Disruption and Social Distancing

The ongoing pandemic has led to a severe disruption of public life, with people around the globe practicing social distancing measures to fight the spread of the virus. In this blog, we explore the consequences of the pandemic, observed from space using satellite data.

🔍 The Outbreak in Wuhan

Towards the end of 2019, an unusual number of pneumonia cases were noticed in Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province in China. After documents about this were leaked online, local authorities confirmed these reports on December 31, 2019. One day later, the wet market in Wuhan was closed.

• Investigations: Two-thirds of the early patients were linked to this market, suggesting it as the outbreak’s origin.
• Rapid Spread: By January 20, the number of reported cases rose to 136, spreading to Beijing and Shenzhen within days.

🔐 Lockdown in Hubei Province

On January 23, the central government decided to lock down Wuhan and other cities in the Hubei Province.

Before and After: This image shows traffic on the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge on January 12, before the lockdown. Two weeks later, the streets were empty, transforming life in China.

Emergency Response: Emergency hospitals were set up rapidly in Wuhan. Construction on one began the same evening as the lockdown on January 23, admitting its first patients on February 3. Another field hospital utilized a parking lot as its base.

🌐 Virus Spreading Internationally

News Reporters revealed the virus spread from China to 47 countries quickly, affecting regions globally in unique ways.

🏴 Iran’s Grave Situation

Iran emerged as the worst-affected country in the Middle East, with the Qom Province reporting the highest cases.

• Pilgrims and Precautions: Around twenty million pilgrims visit Qom annually. Due to the outbreak, large gatherings were banned, and shrine sites closed.
• Skepticism: Doubts arose about the official numbers as satellite imagery revealed a rapid increase in new graves.

🇮🇹 Outbreak in Italy

On February 21, a large outbreak in Italy was reported. By early March, the country entered a complete lockdown.

Venice: Typically crowded waters of Venice came to a standstill, marking Europe’s new pandemic epicenter.

🌍 Worldwide Lockdowns

India: India implemented the latest and largest nationwide lockdown.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia ceased issuing tourist visas for Umrah pilgrimages abruptly.

Vatican: St. Peter’s Square stood empty.

🚗 Innovations in Testing

Drive-through testing stations made testing faster and easier.

🇺🇸 United States Escalates

The US began leading the world in the number of confirmed cases with New York City as the epicenter.

• New Yorkers: 19 million residents were asked to stay home as much as possible.

✈️ Aviation Industry Plummets

One of the most heavily impacted industries is aviation. Legal restrictions like travel bans and an unimaginable drop in demand grounded many planes.

Grounded Planes: Airports worldwide converted runways and taxiways into parking spaces for planes. Here’s how it looked:

• Frankfurt International Airport in Germany
• Copenhagen Airport in Denmark

📉 Decline in Industrial Activity

The consequences of declining industrial activity and traffic can also be seen in satellite data, recording changes in nitrogen dioxide emissions.

• Europe: A significant decline in emissions in Northern Italy was observed.
• China: A strong change in emissions was noticeable at the end of January, coinciding with the lockdown measures.

🌐 A Global Challenge Captured from Space

The ability to identify the effects of the virus through satellite data underscores the global scale of this challenge. Satellite imagery offers a macro view, but the micro view is equally powerful.

Smartphone Clips: Capturing tragedy, frustration, hope, and social solidarity during these difficult times.

• collective singing
• singing happy birthday

As we continue living through this pandemic, the diverse ways in which we can observe its impact—from satellite images to personal clips—show the vastness and personal nature of this global crisis.