Satellite imagery can complement the information collected on the ground. It can be used to detect fires and derive up-to-date land cover maps. To meet the requirements of rescue workers very high resolution remote sensing from optical and radar satellites is required. Satellite imagery acquired immediately after the event can be used to create emergency maps. When compared to situation maps generated from archived satellite data before the hazard, major changes and possible passage routes for relief and rescue workers can be identified.

Satellite data used to forecast and manage earthquakes are primarily derived from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments. When certain weather conditions such as cloud formations prevail, the use of radar satellites is recommended as opposed to optical satellites. Radar satellites are able to peer through the clouds and can be used to identify hazards such as earthquakes/ map surface deformations caused by earthquakes. A modern technique called SAR Interferometry (inSAR) has been developed and widely used to measure dislocation extent from the source of an earthquake. InSAR involves the comparison of two or more radar images of the same location over time to precisely measure changes of ground motion between different image acquisitions. The resulting coloured interferograms usually appear as rainbow fringe patterns. A very promising technique in the field of volcano and earthquake detection and management is POLinSAR (SAR Polarimetry and Polarimetric Interferometry).  

Globally there are a number of organizations involved in remote sensing earthquakes. The International Charter for example has 10 members: Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Argentine Space Agency (CONAE), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the British National Space Centre/Disaster Monitoring Constellation (BNSC/DMC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Other institutions and programs addressing earthquake phenomena include the UN, GMES, The Consortium of Organization for Strong-Motion Observation Systems (COSMOS), European Centre on Prevention and Forecasting of Earthquakes (ECPFE), The European Plate Observing System (EPOS).