Demonstrator camps near a portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Cannonball River on October 26, 2016. Image ©2016 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0.

DAPL: Satellites Capture Development of an Oil Pipeline; Growth of Protests

The Dakota Access Pipeline has remained in the headlines for weeks as demonstrators have protested its expansion through a region sacred to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. Locals are also concerned that the crude oil pipeline may pose a safety risk if it were to contaminate the Missouri River, which is a source of drinking water.

From space, the changes are clear. Planet’s satellites have monitored the region as the pipeline has extended across the plains and demonstrators’ camps and settlements have swelled. See how the area changes over just a few weeks:

Demonstrator camps expand as construction continues on a portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Cannonball River. Image ©2016 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0.

Now watch it change over three months:

Series of four images shown in an animated GIF depict development of pipeline and growth of demonstrators camps. Image ©2016 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0.

As the situation on the ground evolves, Planet’s constellation of earth observation satellites is monitoring this change over time, providing a valuable perspective on the speed of the pipeline’s development and the current state of protests.