Ryan McNeill
@mcneill.bsky.social
Reuters deputy editor, data journalism. Europe, Middle East, Africa. #okstate alum....... send tips: ryan.mcneill@tr.com
Wonder if this works with SF?
November 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Wonder if this works with SF?
And this isn't meant to be an ad. I think there's sometimes a tendency, at least among journalists working with satellite imagery, to immediately go for the highest resolution possible. But there's an awful lot of stories inside those daily 3.5m multispectral collects.
October 22, 2025 at 12:21 PM
And this isn't meant to be an ad. I think there's sometimes a tendency, at least among journalists working with satellite imagery, to immediately go for the highest resolution possible. But there's an awful lot of stories inside those daily 3.5m multispectral collects.
Yes, the very high resolution imagery were key in confirming small details. But the near-daily cadence of PlanetScope enabled us to identify start and stop dates of activity, create vector datasets tracking the pace of reopening trenches at Qutayfah, as well as filling of new ones at Dhumair.
October 22, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Yes, the very high resolution imagery were key in confirming small details. But the near-daily cadence of PlanetScope enabled us to identify start and stop dates of activity, create vector datasets tracking the pace of reopening trenches at Qutayfah, as well as filling of new ones at Dhumair.
Our analyses of the Qutayfah and Dhumair mass graves consisted of more than 500 images (likely much higher when you count the use of streaming tiles) and the overwhelming majority were PlanetScope.
October 22, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Our analyses of the Qutayfah and Dhumair mass graves consisted of more than 500 images (likely much higher when you count the use of streaming tiles) and the overwhelming majority were PlanetScope.
A few months ago, a leading figure in the commercial satellite biz, who did not work for Planet, told me that PlanetScope imagery is the most underused dataset in remote sensing. Consider me a cosigner. Here's why:
October 22, 2025 at 12:21 PM
A few months ago, a leading figure in the commercial satellite biz, who did not work for Planet, told me that PlanetScope imagery is the most underused dataset in remote sensing. Consider me a cosigner. Here's why:
Read our investigation published Friday, detailing our discovery of an enormous mass grave in the Syrian desert and the two-year conspiracy behind it….
www.reuters.com/investigates...
www.reuters.com/investigates...
Assad-era plot to hide dead bodies turned Syria desert into mass grave
For two years, Syria’s Assad government secretly trucked thousands of bodies from an exposed mass grave to the desert, trying to hide evidence of atrocities.
www.reuters.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Read our investigation published Friday, detailing our discovery of an enormous mass grave in the Syrian desert and the two-year conspiracy behind it….
www.reuters.com/investigates...
www.reuters.com/investigates...
Our first story is here: www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Exclusive: Assad government secretly moved mass grave to cover up killings, Reuters investigation finds
From 2019 to 2021, Syria’s authoritarian government carried out a secret operation to move tens of thousands of bodies from the exposed Qutayfah mass grave to a hidden site in the desert east of Damascus. The goal of the clandestine reburial was to hide evidence of atrocities as Bashar Assad tried to regain international standing
www.reuters.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Our first story is here: www.reuters.com/world/middle...
A forthcoming Reuters special report will detail the story of how the Assad government executed the clandestine operation and how reporters uncovered the scheme.
October 14, 2025 at 6:38 PM
A forthcoming Reuters special report will detail the story of how the Assad government executed the clandestine operation and how reporters uncovered the scheme.
The goal of the operation? To hide atrocities committed by Assad’s government.
October 14, 2025 at 6:38 PM
The goal of the operation? To hide atrocities committed by Assad’s government.