Aerial and satellite images in crisis management: Use and visual interpretation

Maps, aerial and satellite imagery are essential when solving crisis situations. Aerial photographs can provide a useful visualization of the current situation, also technologies for image transmission from helicopters to Crisis Management Centers in the real-time are being developed. In order to make a right decision by the operators of the CMC, it is essential to read and interpret the images as quickly and carefully as possible. The article presents the results of a research on evaluation of comprehensibility of aerial and satellite images. Accuracy and speed of the identifying strategic objects, regarding the concrete use of a background (e.g. an aerial shot compared with a map, a satellite image in true colors compared with another one in false colors) and selected characteristics of respondents (e.g. sex, expertise), were the main observed factors. The research has shown that images in false colors are equally understandable to respondents and that aerial images are more comprehensible than maps to both experts and laymen. Men and women interpreted the images with the same accuracy and speed, however, experience of the respondents correlated with overall result.