What is the outlook for global carmakers in 2022? To answer this question about where the industry is headed next year first requires an understanding of where things stand today.

Present conditions, as everyone is aware, have been defined by the semiconductor shortage, part of the larger story about supply chain disruptions upending businesses and everyday lives around the world.

A better solution leverages satellite imagery, specifically /blog/faq-what-is-sar/">synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a satellite-borne sensor that works in any weather conditions, day or night.

Our analysis below is based on SAR imagery, collected over parts of Louisiana where Hurricane ida struck a hard blow, allowing the viewer to see specific places in which flooding and damage occurred.

On July 18, two dams in China’s Inner Mongolia collapsed after heavy rains battered the region, sending torrents of water downriver, causing severe flooding across farmland and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

Even before the data was released, a downturn was apparent in China’s automotive industry. 

Ursa Space’s China Auto Manufacturing Index (AMI) began falling in late May, and continued dropping through June.

The China AMI recovered from coronavirus lockdowns in early 2020, and stabilized for the remainder of the year and into 2021. In May 2021, before the decline began, China’s AMI was slightly above the average levels for 2016 to present.

The S&P GSCI, a widely-followed barometer of commodity prices, the S&P GSCI Soybean index and the S&P GSCI Industrial Metals index.

With an eye on inflation, the Federal Reserve on June 16 moved forward the date for lifting interest rates from 2024 to as early as 2023.

In this blog, we list five economic hubs that are key to understanding the global economy, and demonstrate how satellite imagery can provide the tools needed to monitor them.

/blog/faq-what-is-sar">satellite radar imagery.

The oil spill off the coast of Mauritius in August demonstrated how satellite-based, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can be used to assist clean-up efforts.

Ursa Space’s team of SAR experts began analyzing imagery shortly after the bulk carrier MV Wakashio struck a coral reef on July 25.

Recent upheaval in global financial markets has showcased the uncertainty that still exists over when economies will return to normal.

In last week’s blog, we examined Ursa Space data for insights, focusing on crude oil inventory measurements and automobile manufacturing activity indices.

The tragic oil spill caused by the bulk carrier MV Wakashio off the coast of Mauritius illustrates how satellite imagery and data analysis can be used to monitor events as they unfold.

In our last two blogs, we provided information on the size/location of the oil spill and plotted the Wakashio’s ill-fated voyage.