South American perspective of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters"

Abstract. The International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" is about joint operations and tasking of imaging satellites and other space resources of the member space agencies and operators in the delivery of information products to assist in responding to disasters of natural and technological causes. Authorized Users, who are the civil protection, emergency response or similar organizations of a state that is member of the Charter, can request the data and products. A specialist, called the Project Manager (PM), manages the overall data acquisition and delivery process. Regional initiatives, as for the Latin American countries, are under way to involve PMs from non-member states to have access to satellite data and apply these to disaster coverage in their respective regions. Volcanic eruptions are typical examples of disasters that affect the Latin American countries. A few Charter activations on this disaster type are described to highlight the information products provided under the Charter.