Satellite image of the burning of Tajalei, March 6, 2011

The Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) was conceived by

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

and

Enough Project The Enough Project is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that was founded in 2007. Its stated mission is to end genocide and crimes against humanity. The Enough Project conducts research in several conflict areas in Africa includ ...

co-founder John Prendergast during their October 2010 visit to

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

. Through the use of satellite imagery, SSP provides an

early warning system An early warning system is a warning system that can be implemented as a chain of information communication systems and comprises sensors, event detection and decision subsystems for early identification of hazards. They work together to for ...

to deter mass atrocities in a given situation by focusing world attention and generating rapid responses to human rights and human security concerns taking place in that situation.

Activities

SSP currently produces reports on the state of the conflict in the border regions between Sudan and

DigitalGlobe DigitalGlobe is an American commercial vendor of space imagery and geospatial content, and operator of civilian remote sensing spacecraft. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange on 14 May 2009, selling 14.7 million shares at US$ ...

provides satellite imagery and analysis. Their reporting is then released to the press and policymakers by the

. In 2011, the Satellite Sentinel Project detected images of freshly-dug mass grave sites in the

South Kordofan South Kordofan ( ar, جنوب كردفان ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,100,000 people (2000).Sudanese military forces had killed members of a black ethnic minority suspected to support South Sudanese forces. SSP was the first to provide evidence consistent with the razing of the villages of Maker Abior, Todach, and Tajalei in the

Abyei The Abyei Area ( ar, منطقة أبيي) is an area of on the border between South Sudan and the Sudan that has been accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in ...

region of Sudan, and the project has discovered eight alleged

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

South Kordofan South Kordofan ( ar, جنوب كردفان ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,100,000 people (2000).Not On Our Watch Project Not on Our Watch was a nongovernmental, international relief and humanitarian aid organization based in the United States. History The organization was established by Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman, and J ...

provided

seed money Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' ...

to launch the Satellite Sentinel Project. The Enough Project contributes field reports, policy analysis and communications strategy, and, together with Not On Our Watch and its SUDANNOW partners, pressures policymakers by urging the public to act.

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and Internet strategy firm Trellon, LLC collaborate to design the web platform.

Limits to effectiveness

Patrick Meier Patrick Meier (born 15 March 1976 in Winterthur) is a Swiss former competitive figure skater. He is the 1995 Karl Schäfer Memorial silver medalist and a seven-time Swiss national champion. Meier began skating at the age of six. He represented ...

, a

crisis mapping Crisis mapping (also known as disaster mapping) is the real-time gathering, display and analysis of data during a crisis, usually a natural disaster or social/political conflict (violence, elections, etc.). Crisis mapping projects usually allows ...

expert, has observed that the deterrent value of any surveillance is diminished in the absence of consequences for the perpetrators of violence. Specific to Sudan, other technologies such as

drones Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

are necessary to differentiate threats from nomads in order to generate actionable information."Will Using ‘Live’ Satellite Imagery to Prevent War in the Sudan Actually Work?" By Patrick Meier, December 30, 2011
''iRevolution.net''.

References

External links

*

Joe DeCapua, ''

Voice of America News Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

'', 2 June 2011
Satellite Sentinel Project: Opening Access to Crisis Areas
* {{Authority control Satellite imagery War in Darfur Genocide research and prevention organisations Science and technology in Sudan Science and technology in South Sudan Human rights in Sudan War crime prevention Remote sensing programs