DETECTION OF BUILDING DAMAGE IN THE 2010 HAITI EARTHQUAKE USING HIGH-RESOLUTION SAR INTENSITY IMAGES

Abstract

Two sets of high-resolution SAR imageries from TerraSAR-X were used to calculate radar characteristics like correlation coefficient and backscatter difference for building damage detection after the 2010 Haiti earthquake in the city center of Port-au-Prince. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from a Quickbird image was used to delineate non-vegetated areas. The threshold values for correlation coefficient and backscatter differences were determined to find the change. By our threshold values, we could achieve reasonable detection accuracy in low-and moderate-density areas.