The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, formally opened in November 2000, provides a mechanism for accessing satellite data to help respond to natural disasters.

If a disaster strikes, authorised users can call a single number and request any and all participating satellites to collect data over the affected area.

The charter's website publishes a list of participating space agencies and organisations as well as information on all disasters that have activated the charter, including high resolution images of the resulting satellite data.

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