Disasters don’t wait. Whether it is wildfire, flood, earthquake, or storm, the critical hours after a major event demand clear, accurate, and timely situational awareness. Disaster response requires speed, precision, and spatial context. Ground teams are often blind to conditions just a few blocks away, while satellite data can be too rigid to deliver the entire affected area in one dataset.
High-resolution aerial imagery bridges this gap with rapid data tasking designed for operational decision-making.
The First 24 Hours: When Decisions Can’t Wait
In the chaos following a disaster, responders need fast, clear, and actionable intelligence. Our high-resolution aerial platform delivers exactly that.
Capable of collecting 10 cm RGB and NIR imagery, plus optional multispectral or thermal data, our aircraft can be airborne within hours of event notification. With direct access to the jet, pilots, and onboard processing tools, we can launch missions rapidly, operate in controlled airspace, and adapt flight plans on the fly.
This is more than just speed. It’s precision at scale. It’s imagery designed for operational decisions, delivered fast enough to matter.
Where Satellites Can’t Go
Consider these scenarios where satellites fall short, and IO Imagery fills the gap:
- Wildfire Smoke and Cloud Obstruction: Satellite sensors struggle to see through smoke or clouds. Our aircraft can fly below cloud decks or around smoke plumes to capture actionable imagery.
- Urban Flooding at 10 cm Detail: When water fills streets, you need to know which buildings are breached and which roads are passable. Satellite imagery at 30–50 cm resolution can’t provide that level of clarity.
- Rapid Damage Assessment in Dense Urban Areas: Satellite orbits may not align with urgent needs. Our team can be airborne while satellites are still hours away from their next pass.
Turning Pixels Into Action
The utility of high-resolution imagery goes beyond pretty pictures. It enables:
- Structure Status Mapping: Assess buildings as intact, damaged, or destroyed using before-and-after imagery.
- Flood Extent and Water Classification: Map surface water encroachment with image differencing techniques.
- Wildfire Perimeter and Burn Severity: Monitor fire spread and vegetation loss using NDVI and thermal payloads.
- Access Route Evaluation: Identify passable versus obstructed roads for logistics and rescue efforts.
And this is just the start. Our system supports tipping-and-cueing workflows, feeding rapid assessments into longer-term recovery operations.
Aerial Intelligence That Keeps Pace
You might think satellite is always the first responder, it sees the whole world multiple times a day. But what satellite can’t do is deliver 10 cm resolution, with customized flight paths and adaptive collection over cloud-covered, regulated, or dynamic zones.
We’ve built a system that rivals the speed of satellite collection, with better detail and far more flexibility. We own the jet, manage the crew, and handle mission planning, collection, and delivery in-house. That’s what makes this work.
From immediate response to long-term recovery, IO Imagery is built for the full disaster lifecycle.
