Our
MISSION
IMPACT
In Focus
Structural damage mapping
When access is constrained and reporting is fragmented, very high resolution satellite imagery can cut through the fog - offering one of the first clear, verifiable pictures of what’s happening on the ground. In conflict settings, analysts can detect structural damage, track its spread across neighborhoods, and identify patterns that would otherwise remain obscured. This kind of fast, independent visibility is critical in the earliest moments of a crisis and supporting more accurate reporting, enabling timely response, and strengthening accountability when it matters most.
"Common Space is a nonprofit, and that capacity to be able to rely on a non-commercial entity whose ethics are aligned with us is huge. We can task the satellite, work with the community to manage that data, analyze that data, turn it into advocacy programs. It's actually changing the power dynamic."
John Crowley, MapAction
"Over the past five years, our community has mapped 75 disasters and led 9,000 projects across dozens of countries. A humanitarian satellite would provide the reliable, independent data access needed to sustain this impact into the future."
Rebecca Firth, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT)
“We’ve got about a billion people on the planet that are suffering from extreme
poverty. There’s always a gap of data. And this is where I see, groups like Common Space being able to step up and fill that gap and ultimately realize the potential that earth observations, satellite imagery, have to help improve our world. We’ve got many challenges in front of us. We need to make that change.
Mark Iliffe, United Nations
“It would remove a massive obstacle. Rarely do we have the imagery we need. It is either from the wrong time or not high enough resolution.”
Jenna Dolecek, Justice Rapid Response & International Bar Association