Using Remote sensing Technology (06 April 2004)
Table Of Contents
Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) data have become an increasingly important resource for the disaster management community. GIS technology provides the ability to gather, organize, manipulate, display and analyze complex collection of geographic data and information. Earthquake disasters are inevitable and it is almost impossible to fully recoup the damage caused by the disasters. But it is possible to minimize the potential risk by developing disaster early warning strategies, prepare and implement developmental plans to provide resilience to such disasters and to help in rehabilitation and post disaster reduction. Space technology plays a crucial role in efficient mitigation and management of disasters. Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) plays a major role in evolving a suitable strategy for disaster management and occupational framework for their monitoring, assessment and mitigation, identifies gap areas and recommends appropriate strategies for disaster management using these technologies.
Use of Remote Sensing for Earthquake Damage Assessment (August 2004) [149KB - PDF]
Satellite imagery is very expensive and not affordable by most developing nations without their own space programs. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster, space technology data should be readily available, for nations like Afghanistan, which do not have or cannot afford their own space programs. Since November 2000 the ‘Charter On Cooperation To Achieve The Coordinated Use Of Space Facilities In The Event Of Natural Or Technological Disasters’ (www.disasterscharter.org) was launched by several space agencies. The International Charter aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through authorized users.
Information from various sources were received from the following:
From USGS EarthQuake
Hazards program. (www.earthquake.usgs.gov)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html
A strong earthquake occurred
at 21:24:04 (UTC) on Monday, April 5, 2004- local time Tuesday, April 6, 2004
at 1:54:04 AM. The magnitude 6.6 event has been located in the HINDU KUSH REGION,
AFGHANISTAN
location: 36.527°N,
71.028°E
depth: 191.4 km (118.9
miles) set by location program
Reports: At least one person killed in the Shahr-e Bozorg area. Felt strongly at Kabul. Also felt at Delhi and Guragon, India; Srinigar, Kashmir; Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
From Relief Web (WFP - Afghanistan Weekly Situation Report 15 - 21 Apr 2004)On 15 - 16 April, a WFP mission team assessed recent earthquake damage to Sari Qul and Yaftal villages in Badakhshan province. It was found from the assessment, among others, that ten out of 22 households were evacuated to adjacent villages, and that the remaining villagers were drinking water from a muddy river nearby. WFP is providing food aid to the victims, one of the emergency items needed together with tents, blankets, water containers, utensils and medicine.
From USAID
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance
Situation Report #2, Fiscal
Year (FY) 2004 April 26, 2004
Earthquake in
Badakshan Province. On April 6, 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude
of 6.6 struck Badakshan Province along Afghanistan’s northeast border
with Pakistan at 1:54 a.m. local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was in
Jurm District, 50 miles south-southeast of Faizabad. According to the Afghan
Red Crescent Society (ARCS), the earthquake resulted in at least one death.
ARCS also reported that several buildings in Faizabad collapsed, and minor structural
damage occurred across the region.
List of the satellite imagery received.
Immediately following the 6th April 2004 earthquake of Jurm District, Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan, AIMS contacted the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) <put website here> in order to request satellite imagery from the Charter to enable the following:
a) Damage assessments;
b) Map the extent and impact of the earthquake on the lives and properties of Afghans
c) Provide a decision support system for Government Authorities and the Humanitarian Agencies in addressing rescue, relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and mitigation.
Through UNOSAT which is an Authorized User of the Charter, AIMS received satellite imagery covering both pre and post disaster periods from three satellite sources:
SAC – Argentinean
Satellite
06-10-2001 –
SAC Multi-spectral Image – 120 m Resolution
06-10-2001 –
SAC Panchromatic Image – 35 m Resolution
SPOT
18-10-2003 –
HRG 2 (12000 by 12000) 5m level 1 A processing
17-04-2004 –
HRG 1 PAN (24000 by 24000) 2.5m level 1 A processing
17-04-2004 –
HRG 1 Multi-spectral (Image Corrupt – contact UNOOSAT for data)
IRS-P6
26-03-04 06:14
(LISS-3) Medium Resolution Multi Spectral 24m
14-04-04 06:19:09
(LISS-4) High Resolution – Panchromatic – 5m
14-04-04 06:19:19
(LISS-4) High Resolution – Panchromatic – 5m
Mapping the Earthquake (applying the methodology)a) Clarification of what needs to be assessed.
b) Collation of Remotely Sensed and Ancillary/Supporting Data Sets (Infrastructure, Topographic Maps, DEM, Settlement, population).
c) Collection of Incident Reports
d) Creation of Multi layer GIS to provide assessment of location of Earthquake – and initial assessment of location of areas likely to be affected – consider timeliness of data and resolution.
e) Visual Inspection and selection of useful imagery
f) Simple Rectification of Imagery
g) Rectification Pre-post event imagery (same sensor)
h) Provide Simple Visual Assessment of Damage/ No damage
This image illustrates that the affected area is a mountainous area, with an altitude of over 3200 meters, with less population, and with most of the area permanent covered with snow. Due to the rigged terrain ground surveys by UN and Government authorities were limited only to surrounding settlements that were accessible by vehicles.
Image processing’s done to both Pre and Post imagery of the available imagery from SPOT1 and IRS P6 shows very little change detection. Due to the lack of detailed ground survey, the processed satellite image did not show any significant structural damage.
This exercise further shows that remote sensing data alone cannot provide all the answers to a problem, it has to be integrated with other ancillary data obtained through ground surveys.
Remote Sensing and GIS in Disaster Management Mitigation of earthquake disaster management can be successful only when detailed knowledge is obtained about the expected frequency, character, and magnitude of hazard events in an area. Although, natural disaster have shown in the last decades a drastic increase in magnitude and frequency, it can as be observed that there is a dramatic increase in technical capabilities to mitigate them.
Availability and access to space technology in addressing natural disasters has been the main obstacles facing developing countries particularly those poor countries without their own space programs. This problem has been solved through the introduction of the Charter. Knowledge of the Charter is not common knowledge in most developing countries; there is need for a massive awareness campaign to educate decision makers about the Charter and the potentials of using space technology in addressing problems relating to disaster management. The skills to process satellite imagery and integrate it with GIS are lacking in most developing countries; there is need to embark on a massive capacity building exercise to ensure optimization of the benefits of the technology. AIMS has the expertise in GIS and Remote Sensing and is embarking on building the information management capacity of Government Departments.