The development of a satellite application to rapidly assess earthquake induced building damage

Rapid urbanisation poses an enormous challenge for the resilience of cities against earthquakes. The efficient management of the post event emergency gives an essential contribution overall resiliency. In recent earthquakes (Haiti 2010, Nepal 2015), the use of satellite imagery has shown tremendous potential; however, satellite based data applications have been limited to the qualitative detection of completely destroyed areas or very severely damaged structures.

This project aims to develop a rapid tool for the quantitative assessment of earthquake induced building damage, based on satellite radar data. This will be achieved through; A) the analysis of satellite based displacement measurements; B) the fusion of heterogeneous datasets (Radar, Lidar & Optical); C) the design and build of a computational network to identify and monitor building damage and; D) working with partner institutions and research groups to ensure a robust and holistic solution.

Such a tool has benefits before, during and after an earthquake event. Firstly, as new SAR data becomes available, vulnerability scenarios could be updated including life-lines, population and building distribution and escape routes. During the event, the tool could accelerate the assessment time of post-earthquake building damage from days to hours. This is beneficial for rescue operations whose efforts are time critical. Lastly, the application can inform reconstruction initiatives by feeding data into future earthquake engineering research.

Key Words: Satellite Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, Vulnerability Assessment, Risk Analysis, Earthquake Engineering