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During a wildfire or flood, news reports sometimes show satellite images that appear to be several hours—or even days—behind what people on the ground are describing. I had assumed satellites continuously send fresh pictures, so I’m wondering what causes the delay.
How much does it depend on when a satellite passes over the area, cloud cover, image processing, or the time it takes to make imagery available to responders and the public? I’m also curious how analysts communicate uncertainty when satellite imagery delay means a map may not show the latest change on the ground.
