1. An indispensable tool for investigative journalists suddenly stopped working last month. Whether you've ever used it or not, its loss affects you, but there's also a bigger problem at play. A thread...
2. @TerraServer—a high-def satellite imagery service— has been essential to my reporting on airstrikes and civilian casualties, not just for The Uncounted, nytimes.com/interactive/20… but also for ongoing work for #PrecisionStrike.
@TerraServer 3. While I was in the field in Iraq and Syria, it was one tool that helped me verify dates and other details from airstrike survivors, geolocate the U.S. military's airstrike videos, and identify other impact sites in sample areas. 
@TerraServer 4. TerraServer did the same for many of my brilliant colleagues—whether staffers at big newspapers like @leloveluck, or scrappy freelancers & OSINT analysts—because it made exploring hi-def satellite imagery over regularly updated time periods easy and relatively inexpensive.
@TerraServer @leloveluck 5. It wasn't perfect, but you didn't need a DigitalGlobe representative or some other distributor to pull images for you; you could explore on your own. vice.com/en_us/article/…
@TerraServer @leloveluck 6. Then, last month, it just stopped working. On Monday, TerraServer announced its sat image sales would be done through parent company @PrecisionHawk, which acquired it in 2015 and which, according to its bio, seeks to "provide drone solutions that strengthen decision-making."
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk 7. I have no doubt that TerraServer shutting down will have devastating impacts on investigative journalism in the near future, BUT the fact that so many of us relied on it so heavily speaks to a larger problem that's long-needed to be addressed w/ respect to sat image access...
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk 8. In short, there is a de facto monopoly on who has access to hi-def satellite imagery. Most often, it is governments, militaries, defense contractors, large corporations, hedge funds... essentially, powerful institutions who use it to seek an advantage.
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk 9. And big tech, with all of its claims to democratize the internet and invest in mapping, has not fixed this disparity, for many reasons...
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk 10. Of course, there's much to consider re: policy, privacy & regulation on the use of satellite imagery, but the problem remains: there is a segment of society that retains access to this very powerful tool w/few to no regulations—& many others who cannot access it at all.
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk 11. It is a problem that introduces important questions about democracy, technology, and what qualifies as a fundamental right—questions that aren't permeating mainstream debates and public discussions on tech policy. It's something we should all learn more about and think on.
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk 12. Many like @suryamattu & @LatoyaPeterson and others at @medialab have helped me think through these ideas, but there are lots of sharp thinkers in the OSINT world, @EliotHiggins, @RawanSSA18, @trbrtc to name a few. (What I would give for a @kashhill investigation into this!)
@TerraServer @leloveluck @PrecisionHawk @suryamattu @LatoyaPeterson @medialab @EliotHiggins @RawanSSA18 @trbrtc @kashhill 13. Until some long-term future solution, I'm in desperate need of a TerraServer replacement ASAP, so if you have a hookup, hmu :) azmatzahra.com/contact
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