Free, web-based tool offers real-time damage assessment, satellite imagery comparison and disaster mapping to aid relief efforts and public understanding of the Nepal flood disaster
As rescue and relief efforts continue across flood-affected districts in Nepal, Suhora Technologies, an Indian space-data analytics and intelligence firm, has launched a free, web-based disaster assessment platform to support the response, building on the satellite analysis the company shared earlier this month on the Betrawati and Trishuli region devastation. Suhora has been contributing satellite-based insights to help inform ongoing relief and rescue efforts in the region.
The disaster has claimed hundreds of lives, left many more missing and displaced communities across the region. Suhora’s analysis now spans nearly all major flood-affected districts, including Betrawati, Bidur, Devi Ghat, Mailung, Rasuwa, Syafru, Taruka, Timure, Trishuli Solar Plant and Trishuli Bazar.
The platform is accessible at nepalflood.suhora.com, brings together satellite imagery, open-source datasets and Suhora’s own analysis into a single tool for tracking the disaster as it evolves. It analyses and gives data on affected buildings, affected bridges, affected roads, flood/damage extent, barrier lake, source of glacial collapse.
The platform is open to the public, including relief agencies, researchers, media and affected communities, and includes a feedback mechanism to help the Suhora team refine the tool as the response effort continues. Users are encouraged to explore the different layers, imagery, comparison tools and assessment data on the platform. It currently offers three core functionalities:
- Bird’s-Eye View: An overview of the major disaster-affected areas, layered with open-source datasets and Suhora’s own analysis
- Satellite Image Comparison: Visualisation and comparison of pre- and post-disaster imagery data drawn from ISRO, Vantor, PlanetScope, Sentinel and Landsat
- Damage Assessment: Summary statistics and visualisation of affected buildings, bridges, and flood and damage extent
Krishanu Acharya, Founder and CEO, Suhora Technologies said, “With ground access to several affected areas still severely disrupted, satellite data has become one of the few reliable ways to understand the scale of destruction and guide relief efforts to where they are needed most. We built this platform because we believe satellite intelligence should not sit behind closed doors during a crisis of this scale. Our hope is that by making this data open and accessible, we can help relief agencies, researchers and the people of Nepal see the full picture faster, and direct help to where it is needed most.”
This follows Suhora’s earlier satellite analysis of the Betrawati region, which found the area’s commercial core buried under debris, and the identification of a newly formed glacial lake, spanning approximately 20.25 hectares, at the source of the avalanche, raising concerns about further downstream flooding risk.
