The city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was in a state of emergency as one of the world’s most active and dangerous volcanoes, Mount Nyiragongo, erupted Saturday, May 22, 2021. At least 31 people have died, and hundreds of children were feared missing or separated from their families. The eruption occurred when fractures opened in the volcano’s side, causing lava flows in multiple directions. The International Federation of Red Cross said that between 3,000-5,000 people fled into Rwanda to escape the dangers. As of May 24, 2021, government officials said that 17 villages have been affected, including three heath centers, and a primary school and a water pipeline have been destroyed.
When crises like this occur, Maxar is committed to supporting the humanitarian community by providing critical and actionable information to assist response efforts and fulfilling our purpose, For A Better World. As part of our Open Data Program, Maxar will publicly release data of the affected areas to support response efforts as it becomes available.
Any imagery or data distributed through the Open Data Program is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 license (CC BY-NC 4.0). This licensing allows for noncommercial use of the information, meaning it can quickly be integrated into first responder workflows with organizations like Team Rubicon, the Red Cross and other nonprofits. If commercial companies are interested in using the data distributed through the Open Data Program, it can be purchased by contacting us here.
Imagery has been posted on our Open Data Program website. Please continue to check this site and our social media channels for updates on additional post-event data.