New Open-Source Tool Tracks Conflict Damage Amidst Iranian Internet Blackouts

As internet shutdowns and restricted satellite data hamper traditional reporting from the Middle East, investigators are turning to a new technological solution to track destruction in Iran and the Gulf region. Bellingcat has launched the Iran Conflict Damage Proxy Map, an open-source tool designed to identify potential structural damage in areas where on-the-ground information is scarce. This development follows a period of increasing limitations on commercial satellite imagery, which has made it difficult for researchers to monitor the impact of the ongoing conflict independently.

The tool utilizes Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite to detect changes in the landscape. By applying a specialized algorithm known as the Pixel-Wise T-Test, the system compares current radar backscatter against a year of pre-war baseline data. When a location’s radar signature consistently falls outside of its historical range, the tool flags the site as potentially damaged. This methodology allows researchers to bypass the digital barriers currently obscuring the region, providing a transparent, data-driven method to assess the scale of conflict-related destruction. By offering this resource to the public, developers aim to maintain oversight of military and civilian infrastructure impacts during periods of extreme information suppression.