Improving Satellite Imaging For Natural Disasters
Published Date: 05/16/2023 Author: Bella Hu
Satellite imaging data and 3D construction techniques have emerged as a powerful tool for assessing changes on the Earth’s surface, which is particularly helpful in the aftermath of natural disasters. A recent study has highlighted the development of a new method to utilize satellite imaging data for creating 3D images, enabling quick detection of changes on the Earth's surface. The technique holds significant potential for promptly identifying natural disasters in remote regions, equipping first responders with accurate information about the affected areas. The study utilized the Planetscope satellite constellation operated by Planet, a satellite data company, which captures images of the entire globe on a weekly or even daily basis. With unprecedented global coverage, this satellite data has already been employed for diverse applications, including monitoring wildfires, tracking crop health, and surveying deforestation.
The research, conducted by scientists from The Ohio State University and published in the Journal GIScience and Remote Sensing, demonstrated that the vast datasets obtained from Planetscope could be employed to generate 3D reconstructions or digital surface models of any targeted location. By using remote sensing, these reconstructions could estimate the impacted areas in the aftermath of natural disasters, facilitating effective rescue operations and damage assessment. The study aimed to achieve higher resolution and update rates than existing remote sensing-based disaster studies, addressing the limitations of available data, coverage, and resolution.
The 3D reconstructions developed by the researchers accounted for elevation levels and landscapes, providing accuracy up to approximately six meters from the ground. This level of precision, achieving "almost approximately one pixel accuracy" in mapping data, surpassed the flat images traditionally used in programs like Google Earth, which can distort objects or locations on the map and compromise accuracy. The open access nature of Planetscope's data allows educators and other scientists to employ the same datasets for their own simulations, expanding the potential applications of this technology.
To validate their approach, the researchers conducted three case studies using thousands of Planetscope images collected between 2016 and 2021. These studies demonstrated the ability to create 3D reconstructions of urban and rural areas in Spain, detect temporal changes in urban and forested regions near Allentown, Pennsylvania, and assess the topographic changes in a glacial area in Chamoli, India, following a devastating flood caused by a rock and ice avalanche.
The findings of this study contribute to the advancement of utilizing satellite data, particularly as the number of satellites and their applications continue to grow. While the technique is still in the early stages, the researchers believe it holds great promise for the industry and scientists concerned with combating climate change. As satellite technology and data analytics further evolve, the integration of 3D imaging and remote sensing has the potential to revolutionize disaster response and provide invaluable insights for understanding and mitigating the impact of natural disasters on our planet.
Sources:
Content:
Using Satellite Data to Help Direct Response to Natural Disasters | Phys.org
An evaluation of PlanetScope images for 3D reconstruction and change detection - experimental validations with case studies | Taylor & Francis Online
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Does Home Insurance Cover Natural Disasters? | Quote Wizard
