Satellite imagery and social media will help stop hunger among people

If you follow the world news, thenyou probably already know that people in some regions of Asia and Africa are suffering from hunger. According to the United Nations, in 2017, the number of hungry people in the world was more than 821 million people. Their number continues to grow, and the researchers believe that regular droughts, floods and political conflicts are the reason for this. To prevent food shortages in troubled regions even before the onset of difficulties, scientists from the US state of Maryland, led by Molly Brown, decided to use data from satellites and social networks. They are sure that thanks to satellite images and Internet messages, one can find out about impending natural disasters and public unrest and thereby prevent mass starvation following them.

Refugees in Somalia waiting for their portion of rice

The plans of a group of scientists were described atPhys.org page. According to the data, earlier Molly Brown carefully studied the results of 77 studies and found out that children suffer most from the effects of prolonged droughts, floods and political conflicts. It became known that due to natural and social problems, lack of food and poor water quality, most children experience stunted growth. If the problem of chronic malnutrition is not resolved in time, people may remain small, but this can be avoided.

How to prevent mass starvation?

According to Molly Brown and her colleagues, predictThe occurrence of droughts and floods is possible using satellite imagery. In previous scientific work, she had already studied photographs from space and discovered agricultural land affected by drought. It turns out that regularly looking at the earth's surface, you can quickly find regions with a lack of food and timely send food aid there. In this way, the health problems of millions of people around the world, including young children, can be prevented.

Did you know that by 2050 half of the world's population may be left without fresh water

However, researchers acknowledge that usingsatellite imagery cannot predict the occurrence of political conflicts. To do this, they suggest using a computer algorithm that regularly examines social networks for reports of unrest and violence in certain areas of our planet. Having noticed more frequent reports of conflicts in one of the regions, researchers will be able to recognize the risk of more serious problems. Subsequently, they will be able to warn government officials that food assistance may be needed for a problem region.

Due to riots, some farmers simply cannot go to work and grow food

Researchers also noted that in somecases of mass starvation occur due to a combination of natural disasters and social unrest. For example, due to the impact of two problems at once, there is currently a well-known famine in Syria. According to the UN, in 2010, more than a million people were on the verge of starvation due to drought during the Civil War. Today their number has already increased significantly and they need help.

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In general, the design of scientists from the state of Maryland is notdevoid of meaning and quite possibly, forecasting natural disasters and social problems with the help of satellite images and the Internet will really bear fruit. It is hoped that rescue services will respond quickly to messages and deliver food to the right places in a timely manner.