China GEO Mobilizes Satellite Support for Columbia Earthquake Response
18 Aug 2026
A magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, 2026, causing widespread damage across 32 cities. According to figures released by local authorities on Aug. 15, the death toll had risen to 294, with 3,935 people injured.
In response to a request from the UN-SPIDER Beijing Office, the GEO China Secretariat activated its Disaster Data Response (CDDR) mechanism to provide Chinese satellite imagery in support of disaster response efforts.
More than nine Chinese satellites were tasked with conducting emergency observations over the earthquake-affected areas of Pereira, Cali, Quibdo, Manizales and Armenia. Within six days, 80 GB of post-disaster satellite data—including imagery from the Gaofen-7, Jilin-1, POWERCHINA-1 and Shenqi-02 satellites—had been provided to the UN-SPIDER Beijing Office.
The ChinaGEOSS Data Sharing Network (ChinaGEOSS DSNet), hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), also shared the data with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to support their rapid disaster assessment efforts.
Remote-Sensing Interpretation Map of Earthquake Damage in Colombia's Epicentral Area on Aug. 10, 2026. (Image by AIRCAS)
Research News
China GEO Mobilizes Satellite Support for Columbia Earthquake Response
A magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, 2026, causing widespread damage across 32 cities. According to figures released by local authorities on Aug. 15, the death toll had risen to 294, with 3,935 people injured.
In response to a request from the UN-SPIDER Beijing Office, the GEO China Secretariat activated its Disaster Data Response (CDDR) mechanism to provide Chinese satellite imagery in support of disaster response efforts.
More than nine Chinese satellites were tasked with conducting emergency observations over the earthquake-affected areas of Pereira, Cali, Quibdo, Manizales and Armenia. Within six days, 80 GB of post-disaster satellite data—including imagery from the Gaofen-7, Jilin-1, POWERCHINA-1 and Shenqi-02 satellites—had been provided to the UN-SPIDER Beijing Office.
The ChinaGEOSS Data Sharing Network (ChinaGEOSS DSNet), hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), also shared the data with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to support their rapid disaster assessment efforts.
Remote-Sensing Interpretation Map of Earthquake Damage in Colombia's Epicentral Area on Aug. 10, 2026. (Image by AIRCAS)