Data Collection for Disaster Response from the International Space Station

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Remotely sensed data acquired by orbital sensor systems has emerged as a vital tool to identify the extent of damage resulting from a natural disaster, as well as providing near-real time mapping support to response efforts on the ground and humanitarian aid efforts. The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique terrestrial remote sensing platform for acquiring disaster response imagery. Unlike automated remote-sensing platforms it has a human crew; is equipped with both internal and externally-mounted remote sensing instruments; and has an inclined, low-Earth orbit that provides variable views and lighting (day and night) over 90 percent of the inhabited surface of the Earth. As such, it provides a useful complement to autonomous sensor systems in higher altitude polar orbits. NASA remote sensing assets on the station began collecting International Charter, Space and Major Disasters, also known informally as the International Disaster Charter (IDC) response data in May 2012. Since the start of IDC response in 2012, and as of late March 2015, there have been 123 IDC activations; NASA sensor systems have collected data for thirty-four of these events. Of the successful data collections, eight involved two or more ISS sensor systems responding to the same event.

Earth Observation for the Assessment of Earthquake Hazard, Risk and Disaster Management

“…An unfolding disaster could be continuously monitored remotely to facilitate the response to collapsed buildings and determine the impact of subsequent aftershocks, as well as earthquake triggered landslides through analysis of the video imagery, and from constructing digital topography from the video feed to capture landscape elevation changes. Such potential for harnessing space-based video feeds for the International Disaster Charter activations has been identified (Stefanov and Evans 2015) with the High Definition Earth Viewing System (HDEVS) onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Ultimately, continuously staring satellites from geostationary orbits (both optical/video and SAR based) would in the long term provide this uninterrupted monitoring mode that would greatly enhance Earth Observation in disaster risk management.…”

An Investigation into the Location of the Crashed Aircraft Through the Use of Free Satellite Images

“…Remote sensing as a valuable source applied successfully in several natural disaster events around the world 1 . Due to it is capable of assist to identify natural disaster's damages as well as furnish maps of the near actual time of the disaster 2 . For instance, it is data and techniques such as SAR, optical and thermal, LiDAR detection, applied for landslides, volcanic activity, earthquakes and faulting, flooding, wildfire [3][4][5][6][7] .…”

Reviews of Geospatial Information Technology and Collaborative Data Delivery for Disaster Risk Management

“…However, although it provides fewer satellite resources than other activities, it does provide images taken from the International Space Station (ISS) with a camera, the ISS SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System (ISERV) [151,152]. ISERV takes images for disaster response and recovery requests, many of which are available to the International Charter.…”