Nyiragongo Eruption 2021: Lava Flow Extent and Affected Structures in Goma, DR Congo

A 2021 satellite-based analysis of the Mount Nyiragongo eruption's impact. The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) used a Sentinel-1 image from 25 May 2021 to map 1,540 structures and 9 km of roads affected by lava north of Goma airport. This is a preliminary analysis not yet validated in the field.

Use Cases

• Assessing infrastructure damage for disaster response based on the mapped affected structures and roads.
• Modeling lava flow paths and hazard zones based on the extracted lava flow extent.
• Validating satellite-derived damage assessments with ground truth data based on the preliminary analysis status.

Strengths

• Contains a specific count of 1,540 affected structures and 9 km of affected roads.
• Based on satellite imagery (Sentinel-1) acquired on 25 May 2021, providing a near-real-time snapshot.
• Produced by the authoritative United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT)

Collection Method

Analysis of a Sentinel-1 satellite image acquired on 25 May 2021.

Time Range

2021-05-25

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-03 10:45:39.962890; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North of Goma airport, Nord-Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo