Streamlining Post‐Earthquake Data Collection and Damage Assessment for the 2003 Bam, Iran, Earthquake using VIEWS™ (Visualizing Impacts of Earthquakes with Satellites)

Abstract

Advanced technologies, such as remote sensing, have considerable potential for increasing the effectiveness of post‐disaster reconnaissance. In the aftermath of the Bam earthquake, the EERI field team deployed the VIEWS™ (Visualizing Impacts of Earthquakes With Satellites) reconnaissance system to support urban damage assessment activities. This paper introduces the VIEWS™ system and describes its inaugural implementation for earthquake response. For the Bam deployment, VIEWS™ integrated city‐wide base layers of 60 cm color QuickBird satellite imagery collected “before” and “after” the event, with a real‐time GPS (Global Positioning System) feed. The satellite imagery helped direct team members to the hardest hit areas, and real‐time tracking supported efficient route planning, progress monitoring, and the capture of geo‐referenced digital photographs. Through the VIEWS™ visualization mode, researchers are able to replay and analyze the datasets that were collected. The VIEWS™ system was developed by ImageCat, Inc. in collaboration with the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER).