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Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gillespie, TW; Chu, J; Frankenberg, E; Thomas, D
Published in: Progress in physical geography
October 2007

Since 2000, there have been a number of spaceborne satellites that have changed the way we assess and predict natural hazards. These satellites are able to quantify physical geographic phenomena associated with the movements of the earth's surface (earthquakes, mass movements), water (floods, tsunamis, storms), and fire (wildfires). Most of these satellites contain active or passive sensors that can be utilized by the scientific community for the remote sensing of natural hazards over a number of spatial and temporal scales. The most useful satellite imagery for the assessment of earthquake damage comes from high-resolution (0.6 m to 1 m pixel size) passive sensors and moderate resolution active sensors that can quantify the vertical and horizontal movement of the earth's surface. High-resolution passive sensors have been used to successfully assess flood damage while predictive maps of flood vulnerability areas are possible based on physical variables collected from passive and active sensors. Recent moderate resolution sensors are able to provide near real time data on fires and provide quantitative data used in fire behavior models. Limitations currently exist due to atmospheric interference, pixel resolution, and revisit times. However, a number of new microsatellites and constellations of satellites will be launched in the next five years that contain increased resolution (0.5 m to 1 m pixel resolution for active sensors) and revisit times (daily ≤ 2.5 m resolution images from passive sensors) that will significantly improve our ability to assess and predict natural hazards from space.

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Published In

Progress in physical geography

DOI

EISSN

1477-0296

ISSN

0309-1333

Publication Date

October 2007

Volume

31

Issue

5

Start / End Page

459 / 470

Related Subject Headings

  • Geography
  • 3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience
  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
 

Citation

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Gillespie, T. W., Chu, J., Frankenberg, E., & Thomas, D. (2007). Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery. Progress in Physical Geography, 31(5), 459–470. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133307083296
Gillespie, Thomas W., Jasmine Chu, Elizabeth Frankenberg, and Duncan Thomas. “Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery.Progress in Physical Geography 31, no. 5 (October 2007): 459–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133307083296.
Gillespie TW, Chu J, Frankenberg E, Thomas D. Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery. Progress in physical geography. 2007 Oct;31(5):459–70.
Gillespie, Thomas W., et al. “Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery.Progress in Physical Geography, vol. 31, no. 5, Oct. 2007, pp. 459–70. Epmc, doi:10.1177/0309133307083296.
Gillespie TW, Chu J, Frankenberg E, Thomas D. Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery. Progress in physical geography. 2007 Oct;31(5):459–470.
Journal cover image

Published In

Progress in physical geography

DOI

EISSN

1477-0296

ISSN

0309-1333

Publication Date

October 2007

Volume

31

Issue

5

Start / End Page

459 / 470

Related Subject Headings

  • Geography
  • 3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience
  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience