He blackout generalized of April 28, 2025 It was an important event that paralyzed the lives of many people in the Peninsula. The trains stoppedhospitals had to use their generators and telephone connections and the Internet stopped working For many. While in large part of Spain the electric service recovered relatively rapid, the south, including Andalusiahe stayed dark for longer. Now, thanks to data from Night lights of the NASAwe can see better the real scope of that interruption, especially in our region.
NASA’s look from space
These prolonged cuts of the electric service in Andalusia They are visible thanks to special maps. They show the amount of light emitted in the night throughout the region before the blackout and during the event. These maps are based on data collected by an instrument called VIIRS aboard a NOAA satellite. Scientists who work with these data, known as the Black Marble product, adjust the measurements to take into account factors such as clouds or lunar phase and thus ensure that only electric light is seen.
Andalusia in the dark: rural-urban contrast
When analyzing the Black Marble product data, experts noticed something interesting. While the lights returned in most of the urban areas From the peninsula for the next day, many rural areas “In particular in.” Andalusia and some parts of the south and east of Granada – continued in the dark. This highlights one Difference in recovery speed of the electric service between different types of areas.
Backman lessons: vulnerability and resilience
Fast observations like these, using Night light datathey are very valuable to immediately understand How extensive is a blackout And how it evolves, especially in places where the land information takes to arrive. NASA’s similar data analysis after other disasters have shown that populations in rural areas They usually expect more to return the electricity than people in cities. This is one important issuesince many rural areas are inhabited by most vulnerable populationslike older people. He Bru what of April 28 In the Peninsula underlines the importance of having accessible tools, such as this satellite data, to Improve emergency response and be more resilient in the future.
Images © Nasa.gov
