Damage assessment using high resolution satellite imagery

Material Information

Title:
Damage assessment using high resolution satellite imagery application to 2001 Bhuj, India, earthquake
Creator:
Chiroiu, Lucian
Andre, Gilles
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
RiskWorld
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2001
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Geographic information systems ( lcshac )
Natural hazards and disasters -- Earthquakes ( lcshac )
Vulnerable Populations ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Asia -- India

Notes

Summary:
This document outlines the application of GIS technology and earthquake engineering to high resolution satellite imagery for earthquake damage assessment. Automatic and visual techniques were applied to pre- and post-earthquake images of 2-m resolution KVR-1000 and 1-m resolution IKONOS satellite sensors respectively. This study compares the quality of the resulting analyses and examines key issues associated with their implementation. The images were subjected to histogram adjustment and high frequency filtering prior to comparing the reflectances of the images. Reflectance comparisons via radiometric profiling, automatic classification, and false color composition on the contour images were found to be unreliable. Photo interpretation analysis was conducted using both mono-temporal and multi-temporal techniques. The mono-temporal technique was applied to the post-earthquake image, wherein damaged structures were visually identified. The multi-temporal technique focuses on change detection. This method can be hampered by variations in resolution and optical angle, as inconsistencies in these characteristics can distort the analysis. While the researchers had access to imagery of sufficient resolution, the pre-earthquake image was obtained 3 years prior to the event. The temporal gap limited the accuracy with which results could be obtained, as structures built since that date could have been decimated by the earthquake. These buildings would be omitted from the analysis. Images not taken immediately following an event present similar obstacles as new construction may already be underway. Human loss estimates were conducted using HAZUS-based techniques and simplified statistical engineering hypotheses. Different degrees of structural damage were matched with corresponding estimated percentages of dead and injured occupants. Physical damage assessments conducted by visual interpretation were found to be superior to automatic, software-driven methods. Conversely, HAZUS-based methods were efficient when applied to human loss estimates, as these could be obtained through statistical methods.
Subject:
GIS ( English )
Scope and Content:
Remote Sensing ( English )
Citation/Reference:
Chiroiu, L., André, G. (2001). Damage assessment using high resolution satellite imagery: application to 2001 Bhuj, India, Earthquake.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042536

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction