Rapid Damage Mapping for the 2015 M_w 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Data from COSMO–SkyMed and ALOS-2 Satellites
Abstract
The 25 April 2015 M_w 7.8 Gorkha earthquake caused more than 8000 fatalities and widespread building damage in central Nepal. The Italian Space Agency's COSMO–SkyMed Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite acquired data over Kathmandu area four days after the earthquake and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 SAR satellite for larger area nine days after the mainshock. We used these radar observations and rapidly produced damage proxy maps (DPMs) derived from temporal changes in Interferometric SAR coherence. Our DPMs were qualitatively validated through comparison with independent damage analyses by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research's United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Programme, and based on our own visual inspection of DigitalGlobe's WorldView optical pre- versus postevent imagery. Our maps were quickly released to responding agencies and the public, and used for damage assessment, determining inspection/imaging priorities, and reconnaissance fieldwork.
Additional Information
© 2015 Seismological Society of America. The COSMO–SkyMed data were made available for disaster response by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) radar data were made available by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) through the Committee on Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS) in support of the response effort. The Global Urban Footprint was provided by German Aerospace Center (DLR) for disaster response. We thank Matthew Gamm and his team with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Thomas Esch with DLR, Keiko Saito with the World Bank, Shay Har-Noy, and Andrew Steele with Digital Globe, David Saeger with Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)/United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mir Matin, and Deo Raj Gurung with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Jon Pedder with Esri, and Mike Rubel with Planet Labs for supportive coordination and analysis for response. Constructive comments from Susan Hough, Gerald Bawden, and two anonymous reviewers improved the article. This research was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Applied Sciences/Disasters Program and Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) Program, and performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology.Attached Files
Published - 1549.full.pdf
Files
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:84da10f17f014e43483219c7ea9763d9
|
1.0 MB | Preview Download |
Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 62605
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20151204-093621926
- NASA
- Created
-
2015-12-04Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-10Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Seismological Laboratory, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences