Track B · Mapping flood damage from space

Data Sources

Bhote Koshi–Trishuli corridor, Nepal · Flood date: 2026-08-26 · Illustrative network

DEMO DATA

Published damage maps (including EMS and UNOSAT) and post-event OSM edits must never enter predictions. Use them only to check independent outputs.

Sentinel-1 radar

Allowed input · not connected

Copernicus free, full and open data policy; registration required. Use same orbit track, direction and acquisition geometry for before/after change detection, typically 12 days apart.

Dataset reference ↗

Sentinel-2 optical

Allowed input · not connected

Copernicus free, full and open data policy. Use cloud-masked observations when the sky is clear; cloud cover can leave gaps.

Dataset reference ↗

Copernicus DEM / WorldDEM-30

Allowed input · not connected

Elevation and optional downstream tracing. Required DLR / Airbus / Copernicus attribution applies. No terrain-derived path is calculated here.

Dataset reference ↗

Pre-event OpenStreetMap

Allowed input · not connected

ohsome historical snapshot dated before the flood; brief specifies 27 July 2026 for this case. ODbL: published modified OSM databases must retain ODbL. Current basemap is display-only, not a historical network.

Dataset reference ↗

Kuro Siwo

Recommended training · not used

Cite Bountos et al., 2024. The paper lists MIT; README also states CC BY. Resolve license terms before training or redistribution.

Dataset reference ↗

Sen1Floods11

Optional training · not used

Cite Bonafilia et al., CVPR Workshops 2020. Original repository has no license file; mirrors list CC BY 4.0. Verify permissions; brief permits non-commercial educational use.

Dataset reference ↗

Copernicus EMS · EMSR927

Validation only · not loaded

Never a prediction input. Compare independently generated results with the reference. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Emergency Management Service data. UNOSAT and other published damage maps, and post-event OSM edits, are also checking-only.

Dataset reference ↗

Required submission attribution

The brief requires these statements for submissions using these datasets. This prototype does not claim to have processed Sentinel or DEM data.

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026.

PDF radar examples are illustrative, generated for the problem statement, not real satellite data. Uploaded flood photographs are unlocated references; rights require review. No victim imagery is used.

Judging · live on an area and date selected by judges

Flood and damage mapping30%

AI component25%

Cut-off settlement analysis20%

Report, Q&A and honest limitations15%

Dashboard and situation report usability10%

15-day challenge · teams of up to 4. Educational prototype, not operational rescue software. A same-orbit scene pair is essential; radar terrain effects and optical clouds can limit confidence. Satellite revisit intervals cannot provide minutes-ahead glacier-collapse warnings.

Bonus · upstream-to-downstream tracing

Requires Copernicus DEM flow routing and settlement intersection. No elevation data is loaded; the drawn flood corridor is not a calculated downstream path.

Submission readiness