Dr. Shimrit Maman
Environmental and space researcher, senior scientist at the Institute for Security, Society and State and director of the Remote Sensing and Planetary Imaging Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University.
Head of the United Nations Regional Support Office for Emergency Management in Israel. Assigned to the national team of the IDF's Satellite Unit
Dr. Shimrit Maman, as director of the Remote Sensing and Planetary Imaging Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University's Institute for Security, Society and State, uses satellites to find out if water flows on Mars, what kills trees in the Arava, and also to deal with natural disasters. We will talk more about all of these, but before that – on October 7 you were part of the Ministry of Defense's academic and industrial operations room and also part of the national team of the IDF's Satellite Unit 9920. Tell us a little about your work these days.
"The beginning was complicated for us, because absurdly – as soon as every few minutes a building falls in Gaza, our work becomes more complicated. Either way, I try to contribute my research knowledge in order to give insights and additional layers to the data received by the various satellites, for example.
Dr. Shimrit Maman, Photo: Yehoshua Yosef
"A soldier in 9920 understands their technology and role very well, but from my field of research, i.e. a deep geomorphological and environmental background, along with experience in disaster management, a different perspective emerges. Based on our research knowledge, we recommend different directions to the Ministry of Defense. On one occasion we said that a certain thing would not work, and they got off it. It saves a lot of time deliberating and trying to implement things that won't actually work."
When you look from space at what is happening in the Gaza Strip, how unusual are the aerial photographs there compared to other conflicts and wars in the world?
"Just this week, the Washington Post published satellite images showing that the scope of the bombings in Gaza, after about two months, is greater than that recorded after three years in Aleppo, Syria, and after nine months in Mosul, Iraq. As long as there is satellite technology that provides clear resolution, the damage can be seen. In Gaza, for example, we see the amount of dust and the change in the layout of the area."
To what extent are they actually exposed there in Gaza, in Lebanon?
"Everyone is exposed from space, including Hamas and Hezbollah. When you shoot with sensors of different frequencies – and it doesn't matter if you shoot with a drone, a drone or a satellite – you can sometimes notice materials in a certain area, which obviously come from somewhere else. For example, in my research I look for changes in the color and height of dunes. When I advise the military, I recommend that they look for millimeter changes in ground level from space. If an area sinks, I find it suspicious. So to your question, we can detect millimeter changes from space."
Wow.
"It's an amazing ability. On the other hand, we see sheds in Gaza or shafts being built inside buildings to obscure activity. In the past, by the way, they were less careful about camouflage."
Is camouflage related to shooting hours? In previous rounds, we saw many more launches at night.
"Indeed, they hardly launched at night in this war, I guess because at night it is much easier to detect gunfire - using a heat signature and other sensors. They probably figured it out. As I said, the location of launch sites inside buildings is also not accidental. It is harder to detect things from space when they are indoors, here indirect measurements and assistive spatial analysis will be required."
Clear spatial advantage
In Gaza, can you also look inward, to the subterranean?
"From a satellite point of view, you need very specific conditions under which to penetrate the subterranean, so this is an inaccurate claim in the context of the tunnels. We are talking about tunnels tens of meters deep. Even the best radars from space don't reach that depth. But for these reasons, we're looking for complementary things that will give indications."
Are Hamas also watching us?
"Of course. Hamas does not have its own satellites, but it uses all open sources. The exact locality maps they had came from open sources such as Open Street Map, which gives a precise location at the building level. It's enough that you open Google Earth, and things are exposed."
NASA activity on Mars, photo: AFP
As someone who knows the field before and before, is satellite capability a decisive factor in war? Ukraine's digital minister said, for example, that Elon Musk's satellite system is the "blood of their communications system."
"I think yes, such an ability has a big impact. It's an asset. There are very few countries with independent satellite capabilities, and thank God Israel is among them. In the Russia-Ukraine war, Elon Musk has often exerted influence and given Russia an advantage by reportedly restricting combat troops' access to the Starlink system. This is a real strategic capability. But it's important to remember that simpler capabilities, such as drones, also provide vital data."
It reminded me that they once said that Mount Hermon is the eyes of the state. The situation has changed since then.
"Think why Hamas insisted that the air force not fly during the ceasefire: to prevent a situation in which we will have contracts. But when there are no contracts and drones, there are other solutions."
Hamas now employs us every day. On the other hand, I'm interested to know what can be said about the Hezbollah tunnels?
"The layout there is completely different, much rockier alongside vegetation, so we use different channels. They try to disguise their activity in all sorts of ways, but as I said - from space everyone is exposed. When you look from above, you have a clear spatial advantage. Add to that a combination of advanced technologies and image processing capabilities, and you get an image with much more information."
IDF Spokesperson
Identify a disaster ahead of time
You also help deal with natural disasters, as mentioned. When will we be able to identify disasters before they happen?
"We already know how to identify the potential for disaster in some cases. I recently went to advise the Armenian government as part of a UN delegation. They presented me with a case, albeit after the disaster, of a significant outline that suffered damage, including damage to infrastructure and loss of life. I asked them to check the satellite images of the time series before the event, and it can be clearly seen that the disaster area was more humid. Hundreds of kilometers from space, we detected a nuance of moisture in the soil. When you monitor this area ahead of time, you can flag potential areas as suspicious. This is true both in our environmental work and in our security work.
"Currently, my focus is on developing algorithms for early warning systems that detect telltale signs of impending disaster, assess the damage that is likely to occur, and even build a recovery plan."
And what happens in earthquakes?
"There I move to a more 'operational' type of operation, and first of all I take care of providing satellite imaging. In the case of Turkey, for example, the request came to me through the UN, I contacted ISI, which filmed, and with the help of the Israeli Space Agency, we transferred the imaging to the UN, which was transferred to the forces on the ground. In normal times, the activity is not operational but research. I develop algorithms for rapid mapping independent of the sensor, to enable rescue forces to act quickly. In simpler terms, I tell them which area to go to from which more survivors are likely to be rescued. This knowledge has been relevant in earthquakes in Morocco and Turkey, and we are training other teams to do so – for example, in South Korea and African countries."
And what do you do when nature restricts technology? I think back to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 – an earthquake, a tsunami, and a lot of cloudiness. I guess it was complicated to work there.
"In the big tsunami in Fukushima, we wanted to collect data when the event began, but the area itself was covered with clouds as you mentioned. Therefore, the use of optical satellites was limited, due to cloudiness. As a result, we have incorporated more radar technology that penetrates the clouds. In each scenario, the goal is to take the most effective characteristics from each sensor, tie them together, while setting thresholds unique to the area, and provide solutions. After adaptations were made to the spatial area, a damage assessment was obtained, and then it is possible to understand where the search and rescue forces can be sent to. Next, we can talk about recovery. We look back at the satellite images and try to examine the region's recovery potential over time.
"But as I said, my focus, and also my international focus, is on early detection. I am currently working with partners in India on an AI-based system and remote sensing data that can warn of floods ahead of time. These solutions were born of necessities that came in the wake of disasters, such as Nahal Tzfat."
Tell us a little more about working with the Indians.
"We look at the effects of climate change with them and compare our arid regions to the humid regions of India. In India, we expect more humidity due to rising temperatures, and more humidity means more running water. Israel, on the other hand, will dry up more, and we expect flash flood events to increase in frequency and intensity. This is significant and important to understand in order to prevent the next disaster."
Is the tree alive? The satellite will decide
As a result of the capabilities you mentioned, you also know from space whether trees on Earth are alive or dead.
"The case you are talking about is related to a doctoral dissertation by our graduate, Dr. Sivan Isaacson, who examined the mortality of trees in the Arava region, which are of great ecological importance. The bottom line is that using a satellite 500 kilometers away, we were able to understand whether trees are alive or dead, and to examine the rate and spread of mortality. A satellite allows me to access any point on Earth, even Mars and Venus."
If you've already gone to Mars – is there water flowing there?
"Not the way you imagine them. We find evidence of so-called 'recurrent slope lines' – stripes that seem to be evidence of water flow. We can see them clearly on the slopes of craters, for example, during seasonal changes, in the color of the surface that we suspect are flow lines.
"We suggested to NASA's engineering arm to direct them to such a crater with a chance of water flowing on Mars, so that they would help us check whether water was indeed flowing on Mars. Unfortunately, they explained to us that they can't do this because Rover vehicles have strict rules when it comes to pollution risk. Such a mission could have endangered the environment on Mars with materials from Earth, so we did not receive approval. This, of course, does not change the fact that we continue to explore Mars in depth."
How deep? Can you also study grains of sand on Mars?
"We also get grains of sand, yes. Sand and dust are a subject that we have studied extensively and constitute one of the significant indicators of indirect climate data."
According to current indications, do you think we will find ourselves in a few decades establishing colonies on Mars? Maybe also on the Moon and Venus?
"I have no doubt it will happen. All missions today in the space world are directed to the moon, and then away from it."
What about identifying extraterrestrial life?
"Statistically, it doesn't make sense to me that we're alone in the universe. This is an area that is being studied, and it is important to remember that all kinds of signs of life are being sought. Sometimes we look for bacteria, sometimes gas emissions and other indications, and most often we look for things that will remind us of what we know. But it's possible that what we're looking for hasn't yet been detected in our limited technology or understanding."
That is, maybe we see things that we don't realize are a way of life.
"Maybe."
On another matter, as you mentioned, you are working with the United Nations. It must be a complex time to work with them.
"Working at the UN has always been complex. And yes, we are seeing an increase in anti-Semitism in academia and other places, but it is precisely now that we are emphasizing the importance of being there in senior positions and at decisive points, with the ability to influence. In my opinion, it's more critical in times like these."
Finally, how do you see the development of satellites and space and Earth exploration in the coming decades?
"There is constant improvement in technology. We have already taken a satellite the size of a bus, minimized it, launched into space and provided better data than a large satellite. Miniaturization not only reduces costs, it forces creative thinking within the limitations of satellite size – 30X10X10 cm – and makes the field more accessible and accessible. A source of Israeli pride are the Duchipot and Taval satellites, built by high school students. People are increasingly realizing the potential of satellites, in all areas of life, and it will only increase."
So the sky is no longer the limit.
"Not only is the sky no longer the limit, the sky is the lower limit."
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