Towards Rapid Citywide Damage Mapping Using Neighborhood Edge Dissimilarities in Very High-Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery—Application to the 2003 Bam, Iran, Earthquake

Abstract

Remote sensing technology is increasingly recognized as a valuable post-earthquake damage assessment tool. Recent studies performed by research teams in the United States, Japan, and Europe have demonstrated that building damage sustained in urban environments can be identified through analysis of optical imagery and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Damage detection using automated change detection algorithms will soon facilitate the scaling and prioritization of relief efforts, as well as the monitoring of the recovery operations. This paper introduces the use of an edge dissimilarity algorithm to quantify the extent of building damage.