Microsoft’s open-source HASTE tool aims to identify heavily damaged areas within hours by comparing satellite images taken before and after disasters. Applying expert-selected examples of damaged and undamaged structures to larger areas, the model reduces the workload involved in preparing the initial damage map; however, the results depend on image quality and the accuracy of the examples.
According to a field account published by Microsoft on 22 September, HASTE was used by Catholic Relief Services after the 24 June earthquake in Venezuela, and the damage analysis was ready the following morning. Microsoft said the tool has been used in 23 major disasters across 16 countries since 2023:
- An earthquake in Türkiye
- Flooding in Libya
- Fires in France
Because the damage patterns and satellite data differ for each disaster, local experts need to select the examples.
Why it matters
HASTE’s main impact is to transform initial assessment across large disaster zones from a process based entirely on expert labor into a workflow that extends a limited number of examples selected by experts across wider areas. This structure gives organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, which conduct post-disaster analysis, an advantage in terms of time and workload by enabling them to identify heavily damaged areas earlier. However, its use in 16 countries does not show that the tool works in the same way under all conditions; different types of disasters and satellite data make local expert input essential. For this reason, the value of the results depends not only on the speed of production but also on the usability of the imagery and whether the selected examples accurately represent the affected area. The open question is how accurate the maps prepared for different events are when compared with field validation; the information provided does not offer a common measure of success on this issue.
Background
Microsoft is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 18 news reports mentioning the name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated September 24, 2026.