Satellite-Detected Displaced Persons Shelters in Northwestern Syria, 2016-2017

267 locations with an estimated 63,771 shelter structures were identified across 9,039 sq km in Idlib, Lattakia, and Aleppo Governorates. The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) conducted this preliminary analysis using satellite imagery collected between September 2016 and February 2017. The data is provided in SHP and GEODATABASE formats under a CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.

Use Cases

• Mapping the density and distribution of informal settlements based on satellite-detected shelter locations.
• Assessing the scale of displacement for humanitarian needs assessments based on the estimated shelter count.
• Monitoring changes in settlement areas over time based on the analyzed satellite imagery timeframe.
• Planning logistics and resource allocation for aid delivery based on the geographic coverage of the governorates.

Strengths

• Covers a large analyzed area of 9,039 sq km.
• Identifies a specific count of 267 settlement locations and estimates 63,771 shelter structures.
• Sourced from a reputable organization, the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).

Limitations

• The analysis is preliminary and has not been validated by ground truthing.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT)

Collection Method

Analysis of satellite imagery.

Time Range

September 2016 to February 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-15 11:04:51.113368; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Idlib, Lattakia, and Aleppo Governorates, Syria