'Hyperspectral Remote Sensor' senses disasters from space

Combining sophisticated sensors in orbit with sensors on the ground and in the air has led researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) to create a “Hyperspectral Remote Sensor” (HRS) that can give advance warnings about water contamination after a forest fire, alert authorities of a pollution spill long before a red flag is raised on Earth, or inform the population where a monsoon will strike.
The HRS simultaneously acquires hundreds of optical images, each from a different frequency, that enable a “spectral assessment” from distances high in the air via airplanes and in orbit using satellites. This raw data is then processed to yield sophisticated thematic maps. “Soil maps” allow water bodies and sediment runoff, small soil patches in forests after a fire, or contaminants surrounding a factory to be literally “seen” from space.
Source:http:gizmag