Terrestrial oil spill mapping using satellite earth observation and machine learning: A case study in South Sudan.

Terrestrial oil spills are a major threat to environmental and human well-being. Rapid, accurate, and remote spatial assessment of oil contamination is critical to implementing countermeasures that prevent potentially lasting ecological damage and irreversible harm to local communities. Satellite remote sensing has been used to support such assessments in inaccessible regions, although mapping small terrestrial oil spills is challenging - partly due to the pixel size of remote sensing systems, but also due to the distinguishability of small oil spill areas from other land cover types.