Satellite-Detected Flood Impact in Sao Vicente Island, August 2025

UNOSAT analysis maps flood impacts from a 2025 event in Sao Vicente Island, Cabo Verde. The dataset covers a 270 km² area, identifying 12 km² of flooded land, 4,000 damaged buildings, and 80 km of affected roads. It estimates 12,600 people were potentially exposed and notes five damaged bridges.

Use Cases

• Train geospatial models to correlate satellite-detected flood extent with population exposure data from WorldPop.
• Analyze infrastructure damage patterns by mapping the locations of 4,000 damaged buildings and 80 km of affected roads.
• Validate flood impact assessment methodologies by comparing the preliminary satellite analysis with potential ground feedback.

Strengths

• Derived from Pleiades very high-resolution satellite imagery acquired between 13 and 16 August 2025.
• Quantifies impact with specific metrics: 12 km² of flooded land, 4,000 damaged buildings, and 12,600 potentially exposed people.
• Produced by the authoritative United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) for disaster management.

Limitations

• Preliminary analysis not yet validated by ground truthing, which may affect accuracy.
• Limited temporal scope to a single event from 13-16 August 2025, not a time series.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to approximately 270 km² of Sao Vicente Island.

Provenance

Source

United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).

Collection Method

Analysis of Pleiades very high-resolution satellite imagery, integrated with WorldPop population data.

Time Range

13 to 16 August 2025.

Freshness

Last updated on 24 March 2026, based on an August 2025 event.

Geography

Sao Vicente Island, Cabo Verde, covering an analyzed area of approximately 270 km².