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Democratic Republic of Congo: Expansion of Chinese-Owned Cobalt and Copper Mines in the Lualaba Province

<p data-block-key="ywss0">The application of a basic geographic information system (GIS) workflow and cloud-based processing of publicly available Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, within a Google Earth Engine environment, demonstrates the ability to track large maritime vessel activity patterns on the Taedong River proximal to Nampo Port in Nampo, Democratic People&#x27;s Republic of Korea (DPRK) with a high degree of accuracy. This maritime vessel activity was observed over a period of 10 years (2015-2025). The automated methodology utilized to analyze this activity has no statistically significant bias (95% CI -0.22 – 0.45) with a mean absolute error of 0.81 ships per image across the entire area of interest.</p><p data-block-key="ehh2j">Analysis identified multiple temporal points of interest where there were significant changes in maritime activity, providing quantitative context for further in-depth qualitative research. The automated methodology described can be replicated on other ports or narrow maritime areas of interest to generate contextual quantitative data on large vessel movements and activity over long time periods.</p>

Quantifying Increases in Maritime Activity in Information-Denied Environments Using Open-Source SAR Data

Environmental and Human Security Risks of China's Petrochemical Industry

Russia's Arctic LNG Infrastructure: Development and Operational Analysis

Wings of Violence: Locating the Source and Method of Aerial Attacks on Civilians and Civil Infrastructure in North-Central Myanmar

Syria: Assessing Foreign Involvement in the Electrical Grid

Russia-China Land Infrastructure: Changes to Cross-Border Road and Rail Infrastructure Between 2020 and 2024

Russia's Civil Aviation Industry: Impact of COVID-19 and Ukraine Conflict-Related Sanctions Following February 24th, 2022

Mt. Kumgang Tourist Area: A Slow Shedding of South Korean Influence

Kaesong Industrial Complex: A Tortured History and Uncertain Future

Potential Growth of Chinese Infrastructure in Namibia Under New President

Russian Activity in North Africa's Oil & Gas Industry

Water Scarcity in Belgium and the Blue Deal

Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability in Namibia

North Korea: Passenger Vehicles Increasing on the Streets of Hamhung

North Korea's Political Prison Camp, Kwan-li-so No. 18

Geospatial Evaluation of Kazakhstan's Dostyk-Moyinty Railroad Progress: Spring 2024

China's Investments in Myanmar: Analyzing the Status of Projects

Chinese Economic Cooperation with the Taliban: An Assessment of Progress

Status of Chinese Investments in Argentinian Lithium Mines

North Korea's Political Prison Camp, Kwan-li-so No. 25

North Korea's Hwangju-Kindung Waterway Project

Identification of Deliberate Building Targeting During Ukraine War: Evidence from Donetsk Oblast

Expansion of Gold Mining and Cross-Border Mercury Activity Between Venezuela and Guyana

North Korea's Animal Protein Farming: Expansion Status and Challenges

Analyzing Strategic Value of Chinese-Built Infrastructure Projects in Papua New Guinea

China's Interests in Montenegro: Alternative Analysis Case Study - Debt Traps Revisited

China's High-Altitude Heliports: Examining PLA Helicopter Force Changes

Russia's Arctic Dilemma: Permafrost Thaw Threatens Russia's Ambitions

Chinese Investment in Cambodia: The Dara Sakor Airfield

China's Growing 5G Presence in South America Poses Potential Security Threats to the Region

Environmental Impacts of Conflict in Ukraine: Exploring Attacks on Oil Refineries and Watershed Degradation

Water Management Policy in Afghanistan After the Fall of the Afghan Government

Impacts to Cultural Heritage in Ukraine, 01 September 2022 through 31 January 2023

North Korea's Tourism Industry: A Grand Initiative in Limbo

Russia Reallocates Resources to Filtration Operations Based On Anticipated Flow of Displaced Ukrainian Civilians

Sanctions Delay Chinese Equipment to Russian Arctic Energy Projects

Impacts to Cultural Heritage in Ukraine, 1 July through 31 August 2022

The Rise of Turkey's Baykar Technologies, Part I: Facilities

The Rise of Turkey's Baykar Technologies, Part II: Operations

North Korea's Komdok Mining Region: Empty Promises?

Tracking the Industrial Growth of Modern China with High-Resolution Panchromatic Imagery and Deep Learning

Impacts to Cultural Heritage in Ukraine

Geospatial Analysis of Afghanistan Gemstone Production Under the Taliban

Made in China 2025 and the Shenzhen High-Tech Industrial Park

Made in China 2025 and Shanghai's Zhangjiang High-Tech Industrial Park

"Trust But Verify:" Analyzing Refugee Vehicle Movements in Eastern Ukraine

Environmental Effect of Coal Mine Deterioration in Eastern Ukraine

A Geospatial Strategy to Locate Future Chinese ICBM Silo Fields

Infrastructure Developments for Training China's Army

Exploring China's Footprint in the Andes Mountains: Copper Mining in Ecuador

Exploring China's Footprint in the Andes Mountains: Copper Mining in Peru

Predicting Terrorism in Europe with Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, and Spatial Statistics

Tracking the Relocation of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: A Nighttime Lighting Approach

North Korea's Tideland Reclamation Efforts

The Environmental Impact of Russian Mining in the Central African Republic

Made in China 2025 and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Zone

Do We Have One Practical Global Coordinate System for Planet Earth?

Part 2: Evaluating China's Tree-Planting Activity

Chinese Maritime Expansion and Potential Dual-Use Implications on Critical Maritime Chokepoints

Part I: Analyzing China's Continued Expansion of Coal-Fired Power Capacity

China's BRI in Latin America: Case Study – Hydropower in Ecuador

China's BRI in Latin America: Case Study - Hydropower in Bolivia

North Korea's Cement Industry: More Than Meets the Eye

Part 1: Investigating the Growth of Detention Facilities in Xinjiang Using Nighttime Lighting

Part 2: Have Any of Xinjiang's Detention Facilities Closed?

Part 3: Explaining Variation in the Growth and Decline of Detention Facilities across Xinjiang

The Sepho Tableland: Changing Food Production in Marginal Areas

Empty Lots, Green Spaces, and a Parking Lot – What Happened to the Demolished Uyghur Cemeteries?

Part 3: More "Boarding" Facilities Geolocated in Southern Xinjiang

Examining Kim's Approach to Construction: Project Wonsan

China's BRI in Latin America: Case Study - Ports

China's BRI in Latin America: Case Study - Sustainable Energy in Cuba

Part 2: Geolocating Growth of Suspect "Boarding" Facilities in Xinjiang China

Sustainability of China's Overseas Special Economic Zones: Introduction

Sustainability of China's Overseas Special Economic Zones: Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability of China's Overseas Special Economic Zones: Social Sustainability

Sustainability of China's Overseas Special Economic Zones: Zambia

Geolocating Explosive Growth in Preschools in Western China due to 're-education' Policies

The Ice Curtain: Kola Peninsula Part 2: Expanded Maritime Facilities

The Ice Curtain: Kola Peninsula Part 1: Slow Modernization of Severomorsk-1 Air Base

North Korea's Hydroelectric Power – The Paektusan Hero Youth Power Stations

The Ice Curtain: Enhanced Defense of Russia's Western Arctic

Mining North Korea: Magnesite Production at the Taehung Youth Hero Mine

North Korea's Hydroelectric Power - The Tanchon Power Station Project

The Ice Curtain: Russia's Military Moves Further North

North Korea's Hydroelectric Power – Part II

Mining North Korea: Magnesite Production at Ryongyang Mine

North Korea's Hydroelectric Power – Part I

The Ice Curtain: Tiksi Airbase; Many Russian Announcements, Little Equipment

China's BRI in Nigeria: Impact of Lagos-Ibadan Railway on Port Congestion - Part 2

China's BRI in Nigeria: Spillover Effects of Lagos-Ibadan Railway to the Regional Economy - Part 1

The Ice Curtain: Protecting the Arctic Motherland

A Snapshot of North Korea's Supply Chain Coal Activity – Part II

A Snapshot of North Korea's Supply Chain Coal Activity

The Ice Curtain: Why is there a new Russian military facility 300 miles from Alaska?

Making Solid Tracks: North Korea's Railway Connections with China and Russia

Part  2: Ore Car Activity Up at Wonsan Railway Rolling Stock Complex

Modernization and Expansion Project at the  Korean People's Army Fishery Station No. 15

submarine base

The Ice Curtain: Kola Peninsula Part 2: Expanded Maritime Facilities