Identification of Buildings Damaged by Natural Hazards Using Very High-Resolution Satellite Images: The Case of Earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy

Abstract

Earth observation technologies are becoming increasingly important not only in monitoring practice in environmental domain, but also for detecting changes in urban areas caused by natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods or landslides. A range of high- and very high-resolution sensors useful for this purpose have been implemented as equipment of several missions launched since the year 2000, mostly by private companies. This chapter proposes a methodology for identification of damages in urban fabric of L'Aquila, caused by an earthquake in 2009. The images employed for assessment of such damages are Quickbird images with less than 1 m resolution, providing inputs for an advanced visualisation technique. The results of this process were discussed within a larger framework of emergency management cycle for possible thematic mapping, useful especially for response and recovery planning strategies.