The 10 m spatial resolution bands of SENTINEL-2 and the high revisit time of the mission will support the rapid acquisition and delivery of images to support disaster relief efforts. This includes mapping of urban areas, including at-threat buildings and complex structures, that have been previously identified as being at risk from natural hazards such as earthquakes and flooding. It will also contribute towards the identification of potential relief staging areas and status of supply routes, and enable their use in pre- and post-event mission planning and control over the mission lifetime.

SENTINEL-2 links to Copernicus programmes

The Copernicus Emergency Management Service mapping component (GIO EMS) entered initial operations in 2012. GIO EMS provides satellite observation data quickly and efficiently, and together with available in-situ data and other data sources, supports the management of relief efforts to natural disasters (e.g. floods, forest fires, landslides, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), humanitarian crises, and man-made events around the globe. The Copernicus follow-on programme to the GIP EMS is the Emergency Management Service.