INFORMATION
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RESEARCH AREAS
Earthquakes
and risk
CURBE's Earthquake projects:
Using Remote Sensing for Post-earthquake Damage Assessment (2001-2005).
Robin Spence is President of the Executive Committee of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering (2002-2006).
The second edition of Earthquake Protection by Andrew Coburn from Risk Management Solutions Ltd. and Robin Spence was launched in London, England (10 September 2002).
Risk Management Solutions Ltd. sponsored a study by Joseph Marinescu on Building Morphology and Vulnerability to Natural Hazards (1996-1999).
Sedgwick Reinsurance Brokers Ltd sponsored a study by Paul Rockett on Extreme Value Mathematics in Earthquake Risk Assessment (1996-1999).
Using Remote Sensing for Post-earthquake Damage Assessment
October 2001 - October 2005. Funded by EPSRC, UK
Contact: Keiko Saito
Email: ks269@cam.ac.uk
Phone: +44-1223-760120
This study investigates the usability of remote sensing techniques for damage assessment following an earthquake. Traditionally damage surveys have been carried out by sending a team of specialists into the field. The improvement of the spatial resolution of commercial satellites capable of acquiring images at a submeter resoltuion is opened up the possibility for using these techniques instead of, or in support of, ground teams. The application of these new techniques would assist in speeding up the process of damage assessment and could provide invaluable information for a rescue or assessment team while they are en route to a disaster site.
Images from Gujarat, India. Above, before and after satellite images indicate a building which collapsed during the 26 January 2001 earthquake. Below, the same site from the ground.
(Copyright Keiko Saito 2001-2.)
The satellite images can clearly indicate total destruction of the structure to anyone in the world who could access the images. Examples of more challenging tasks, requiring expertise or high-quality images, are identifying partially-collapsed structures and assessing survival space in order to direct rescue teams to locations where people may be saved.