Economics

Satellite Images Show Economies Growing and Shrinking in Real Time

Cheap orbiting cameras and big-data software reveal hidden secrets of life down below
These images are a composite of oil storage facilities around the globe. Crude is stored in massive tanks whose capacity can be estimated from the shadows they cast. How much is stored can be gauged from the shadows on the interior lids, which move up and down based on the amount of oil in the tank.

These images are a composite of oil storage facilities around the globe. Crude is stored in massive tanks whose capacity can be estimated from the shadows they cast. How much is stored can be gauged from the shadows on the interior lids, which move up and down based on the amount of oil in the tank.

Source: DigitalGlobe Inc. via Bloomberg