Citation
Gillespie, Thomas W.; Chu, Jasmine; Frankenberg, Elizabeth; & Thomas, Duncan (2007). Assessment and Prediction of Natural Hazards from Satellite Imagery. Progress in Physical Geography, 31(5), 459-470. PMCID: PMC4144012Abstract
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 (dailyURL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0309133307083296Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2007Journal Title
Progress in Physical GeographyAuthor(s)
Gillespie, Thomas W.Chu, Jasmine
Frankenberg, Elizabeth
Thomas, Duncan