# Remote Sensing for International Peace and Security: Its Role and Implications
## 3 Results
### Applications in Peace and Conflict Areas  
Remote sensing can also aid in peace and conflict policy formulation with the identification of exploited natural resources [23]. For example, in the context of the DRC, the extraction of natural minerals, such as concentrated columbite-tantalite and cassiterite, has been discussed [52]. Both these minerals are used to build components of electronic  
Figure 10: Areas of satellite-detected destroyed or otherwise damaged settlements in Northern Rakhine State in Myanmar. Inset figures showing destroyed villages (Source: UNITAR/UNOSAT). products and have been in demand because of their application-specific competitive pricing in the international market. This work has looked into the possibility of detecting resource-based conflict before they inflate into a violent confrontation. [PERSON] et al. (2004) estimated 2000-armed conflicts that occurred about the same time when the market value of these minerals was at its peak. To monitor the extraction of concentrated columbite-tantalite and cassiterite, a workflow based on object detection and GIS analysis was adopted. Site-activity indicators such as roads, settlements, or rivers were used to narrow down relevant areas for analysis ([PERSON] et al., 2016). The object-based multiscale image analysis approach was also able to locate mining areas in North and South Kivu. However, the researchers did not discount the possibility of overlooking small scale mining areas. Through this process, the researchers argued that remote sensing could aid in the development of early warning systems for resource-based conflict by monitoring the extraction of conflict resources that can result in the prevention of conflict escalation and adoption of peace and security policies that comprehensively address the roots of resource-based conflict. The study demonstrated that remote sensing could be highly useful in monitoring resource extraction activities in conflict-affected areas. Another case where remote sensing was applied for monitoring resource-related conflicts was in the Afghan drug industry. The researchers used remote sensing and population survey data to develop a virtual, rural Afghan population, where poppy is cultivated ([PERSON] et al., 2016). The virtual population developed by the researchers was used to model illicit economic activities in the country torn by complex conflicts. A multi-agent model helped to identify the spatial distribution of pertinent agents/actors involved in the Afghan drug industry. This information benefits the monitoring of the trade by relevant peace and security actors. This example shows how qualitative data collected from the narrative description from natives was combined with remote sensing data to build a virtual rural map and, hence, was successfully utilized to accomplish conflict resolution in Afghanistan. Besides these applications, radar satellites with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology and VIIRS nighttime images can identify shipping vessels and the possible nature of their activity. Detection from SAR is based on the principle that the backscatter from the 3-dimensional planar surfaces of a ship along with the overall size can be used to distinguish them into oil-tankers, shipping boats, patrol vessels, and armed naval ships. Large ships or clusters of small-boats also emit light, which makes their detection possible in the day/night band of VIIRS. Recently [PERSON] et al. (2016) have shown detection of low light emission from small fishing boats (smaller than 19 m in length) by using a combination of nighttime light imagery. By cross-matching these detections with tracking data from Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), the \"dark fishing\" vessels can be identified, which have intentionally shut down their tracking devices for a considerable time. This system is used by the Global Fishing Watch to identify illegal fishing in international waters or foreign maritime zones.