Bennett Explores Arctic Environmental NGOs’ Use of Satellite Data
Posted: 3/24/2025 ()
Environmental NGOs in the Arctic access, analyze, and share satellite imagery to track marine mammal migrations, map coastal inundations for Indigenous communities, pinpoint sources of pollution, and visualize the effects of climate change. While analysis of satellite data can support regional governance and environmental management, it risks distancing these organizations from the communities and ecologies for which they advocate unless attention is given to designing locally-informed rather than data-driven research. In a recent article published in Digital Geography & Society, CSDE Affiliate Mia Bennett (Geography) explores how these NGOs derive meaning and power from satellite imagery through analysis of interviews and correspondence with six Arctic environmental NGOs in 2024. Read the full study here.