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Satellites Are Helping To Track Food Supplies in Coronavirus Era (bloomberg.com) 19

As the coronavirus pandemic leads to anxiety over the strength of the world's food supply chains, everyone from governments to banks are turning to the skies for help. From a report: Orbital Insight, a California-based Big Data company that uses satellites, drones, balloons and cell phone geolocation data to track what's happening on Earth, has seen inquiries about monitoring food supplies double in the past two months, according to James Crawford, founder and chief executive officer of the company. "We're helping supply chain managers, financial institutions, and government agencies answer questions they never thought they would have to ask," Crawford said in a phone interview.

The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a fresh surge in demand for alternative data to shed light on how the pandemic is impacting industries and trade across the globe. That's especially important as multiple government lockdowns and tighter restrictions on the movement of people and goods upend supply chains and logistics everywhere from Asia to Europe and the Americas. Risks to food supply chains are becoming more noticeable as millions of people around the world are affected by government-imposed lockdowns, causing logistical nightmares, and as infections spread including among workers that are responsible to getting food from farms to supermarket shelves.

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Satellites Are Helping To Track Food Supplies in Coronavirus Era

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  • Here in the UK we were concerned about the potential impact of Brexit on supply chains from Europe, once changes in law came into effect at the end of 2020... now it's all going to avalanche in on us way earlier than that from an unexpected direction.

    • no need to worry about the Europe -> UK supply chain once Europe starts running low on food. There won't be one.
      • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
        Every nation will be trying to get PPE to its own farmers to get next years food growing.
        Then to get expert workers to do a harvest. That will be all most EU nations can do. Look after their own citizens.
        Some more skilled nations will have a lot of flour, milk, sugar, meat, fish. To export after the own.
        EU nations will have to accept the new costs to import food due to their decades of failed EU wide politics on farm production.
    • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      The UK is free to trade with the world now.
      No EU rules, laws, EU price setting.
      Free to trade with the USA, Australia, any part of Africa, any part of the Caribbean, Asia.
      For any product, service at any price another nation wants to sell at.
      Part of been a free nation again and not been told what to accept by the EU.
  • Damnit.. There is no "coronavirus *era*". A few years from now we'll all have to be reminded of this, usually during flu season, during which they'll tell you you should get your flu shot as well as your coronavirus shot. Other than that it'll be just a note in the history books.
    o This all is NOT the 'new normal'.
    o STOP PANICKING
    o STOP HOARDING EVERYTHING
    o STOP LISTENING TO THE GODS-BE-DAMNED MEDIA
    • Damnit.. o STOP PANICKING

      This is one of those satire indistinguishablie from reality type thingees, isn't it?

    • It's hard to "stop hoarding everything" when you only get out once a week to go to the grocery store only to see empty shelves for the six weeks.

      Then finally, the grocery store has what you need. But to prevent going another six weeks without it and if it's something that's shelf-stable, you buy at least six weeks worth of the product instead of one week.

      The only people without this problem are those who saw this in advance and stockpiled months in advance in january and february when a lot of politicians w

      • Are people shitting orders of magnitude more than they were before the pandemic started? No? Then they don't need a whole garage full of gods-be-damned toilet paper now do they? That's called HOARDING. They need to STOP DOING IT.

        ..six weeks...

        If they would STOP HOARDING EVERYTHING then no one would need 'six weeks' of toilet paper or whatever now would they?

        ..stockpiling..

        If they would STOP HOARDING EVERYTHING then no one would need to 'stockpile' toilet paper or whatever now would they?

        You can keep up with the ridiculous, circular

        • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
          Re "They need to STOP DOING IT."... that kept them in basic products and services as city, state and federal governments failed to keep items in shops.
          Wise people got ready early the best they could as they noted the spread of wuflu out of Communist China. Wise nations get ready for years after SARS.
          Thats what smart people and smart nations do. Learn from the past and expect strange new problems to return.
          ie have domestic production of PPE, to have a system to give out PPE to all citizens. To ensur
          • city, state and federal governments failed to keep items in shops

            It's not the responsibility of THE GOVERNMENT at any level to keep store shelves stocked.
            AGAIN: If people would STOP HOARDING EVERYTHING there would be plenty for EVERYONE and store shelves would not be empty all the time!
            Stop using circular arguments/logic!

            • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
              Re 'logic".. people all over the USA who went shopping early understood some products would not be in shops as wuflu spread.
              Thats was very simple understanding of a just in time delivery system and what can happen to such a complex US wide system.
              Re 'to keep store shelves stocked'.. thats the logic of many people all over the USA understanding to get ready.
              • people all over the USA who went shopping early understood some products would not be in shops as wuflu spread.

                Yes. That's called 'HOARDING', and is the result of 'PANICKING'. Neither of which is necessary or desirable.

                Thats was very simple understanding of a just in time delivery system and what can happen to such a complex US wide system.

                ..which would work just fine like it has for years and years if people would be INTELLIGENT and RATIONAL and NOT PANIC and NOT HOARD EVERYTHING.

                Re 'to keep store shelves stocked'.. thats the logic of many people all over the USA understanding to get ready.

                You just barely speak English don't you? I'm not even sure what the hell you're trying to say there.

                What I do know is this:
                o People need to STOP PANICKING
                o People need to STOP HOARDING EVERYTHING
                o (You) Need to stop repeating the same inaccurate crap ove

                • I just talked to the general manager of our biggest grocery store. He said they keep ordering the items, but they're not getting some of them . So no, the just in time delivery system is not "working just fine like it has for years and years". It's not only a question of people buying more than usual. You're the delusional one for not understanding that part.

                  Is there extreme hoarders? Yes of course. In a few months, we'll probably hear about some morons who overbought perishable supplies, etc. But for the m

            • Your argument lacks logic if you conveniently forget a major variable. You keep assuming that shelves will get restocked and that the only reason for them to be empty is because people are buying more than they need.

  • Track toilet paper shipments.

  • and we have it since 1978.

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