TASK-DI-09-01A: Vulnerability Mapping and Risk Assessment

Task Description

Task Definition

Facilitate access to the remote-sensing & in-situ data required to perform systematic geohazards vulnerability mapping and risk assessment. Related activities will include: (i) Retrieval, integration and systematic access to remote sensing & in-situ data in selected regional areas exposed to geological threats (“Supersites”); the initial objective will be to dramatically enhance access to SAR data and integration of InSAR & GPS data; and (ii) Development, testing and application of global seismic vulnerability mapping to “Supersites” areas. Concerning seismic hazard assessment, in-situ data related to earthquakes environmental effects will be provided by a catalogue compiled at global level by several research and academic institutions worldwide in the frame of an international cooperation within INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research).

Leads

Motivation/Background

(Why should this Task or sub-task be implemented? What relevance to society? What is the state of the art?)

Seismic risk depends on both seismic hazard and vulnerability, and in this respect vulnerability is as important as the probability distribution of seismic shakes in providing the necessary information to policy and decision-makers in order to prevent and mitigate the loss in lives and property. This is perfectly in line with the objectives of GEOSS as set in paragraph 3.1 of the GEOSS 10-year Implementation Plan.

It was agreed to start with initially seven supersites. These are the three volcano Supersites Mt. Etna, Vesuvius/Campi Phlegreii and Hawaii and the four earthquake Supersites Istanbul, Tokyo, Vancouver/Seattle and Los Angeles. Messina will be proposed as one of Phase 2 Supersites.

Current Status

Outputs

Activities

Resources

In Planning

Outputs

Activities

Resources

Cross-cutting Components

Architecture and Data

1) Please briefly describe any task-related Earth observation resources (data set, system, website/portal) and any related Web Service interfaces that are contributed to GEOSS. State whether these items are or will be registered with the GEOSS Component and Service Registry for access via the GEO Web Portals, and whether any associated standards or other interoperability arrangements will be registered in the Standards and Interoperability Registry.

2) Please also describe what data and information your activity/system needs that you would request to be accessible through the GEOSS Common Infrastructure.

Capacity Building

(capacity building is defined to include the development of capacity related to: (i) Infrastructure and technology transfer (Hardware, Software and other technology required to develop, access and use EO); (ii) Individuals (education and training of individuals to be aware of, access, use and develop EO) and (iii) Institutions – building policies, programs & organizational structures to enhance the value of EO data and products).

1) In accordance with the above definition does this Task have a capacity-building component? If so, please provide a short description of this component including a description of end users.

2) Have any additional CB needs for this Task been identified? Please provide a short description.

Within the activity related to seismic vulnerability assessment, no capacity building is foreseen due to the particular, highly-specialized type of information at hand, which is meant to be delivered to already trained users.

On the other hand, capacity building is one of the key ideas of the Supersite concept. The ready access to SAR and multi-instrument ground-based data provides unprecedented training opportunities will lead to a new generation of geoscientists using multiple datasets for geohazard assessment and research. 

Science and Technology

1. Please briefly describe the elements of scientific research or technological development contained in this Task

2. In relation to the S&T component(s) of this Task, please describe gaps, priorities, continuity needs, barriers, scientific expertise and additional resource needs (this information will be used for developing a gaps and needs assessment in Task ST-09-01)

Vulnerability evaluation from EO-data is not currently performed, if at all, in a systematic and extensive manner. The proposed research will give a significant contribution to bridging the gap between seisimic vulnerability evaluation on the one side, and information collection through remote sensing on the other side.

The necessary technology is apparently already available, especially in connection with the new generation of very high resolution radar instruments which started their operation in the last few years. From a scientific point of view, the main gap to be filled is the availability of a vulnerability assessment technique suitable to operate with the limited amount of information which remote sensing operation can extract on the strucutres under examination.

User Engagement

Please briefly describe to what extent end users are engaged in this Task and influence the nature of the outputs produced

The Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC), besides being the main funder of this activity, is a precious source of information for the task leader. The frequent contacts with the DPC, especially after the earthquake in l’Aquila, allowed collecting requirements that are especially useful to steer the future activity.

The Supersites initiative provide national geohazard monitoring agencies such as volcano observatories and geological surveys with access to Space data and a forum to express their data needs to the satellite data provider.

Contribution to Outputs and Activities Above

Italy

The EUCENTRE thus intends to contribute its experience in remote sensing and seismic risk management to initiate and foster research -within GEO- aimed at large-scale, rough determination of seismic vulnerability based principally on Earth Observation data. So far the efforts towards determination of seismic vulnerability through EO data are somehow sparse and a coordination effort would make them more effective.

ISPRA will contribute thorugh the validation of remote sensing mapping with in situ data on the effects produced by earthquakes on natural environment (surface faulting, landslides, liquefactions, ground cracks, hydrological anomalies, etc.) collected into a catalogue implemented at global level by a network of tens of academic and research institutions. The process of validation will take advantage from the the recently developed ESI 2007 intensity scale, which allow assessing earthquake intensity only on the basis of earthquake environmental effects .

A second contribution from ISPRA, carried out in co-operation with CNR Florence and CNR Naples will concentrate on mapping and protection of cultural heritage sites.

This work will be contributed to the Supersites initiative which began with the "Frascati declaration" at the conclusion of the 3rd International Geohazards workshop of the Group of Earth Observation (GEO), held in November 2007 in Frascati, Italy. The recommendation of the workshop was “to stimulate an international and intergovernmental effort to monitor and study selected reference sites by establishing open access to relevant datasets according to GEO principles to foster the collaboration between all various partners and end-users”. This recommendation is formalized as GEO task DI-09-01.

This recommendation was acted upon at the 2^nd workshop on the Use of Remote Sensing Techniques for Monitoring Volcanoes and Seismogenic Areas" – USEReST, held in Naples, Italy in November 2008. A scientific session on potential Supersites was convened, followed by an open discussion about the Supersite concept. More than 25 workshop participants agreed to contribute ground-based and space-based data to the initiative. A key contribution is that from the European Space Agency who provides the IT infrastructure for an online SAR data archive (now known as ESA’s “Virtual Archive”).

China

The Institute of Earthquake Science, China Earthquake Administration (IES,CEA) has been finished the project of the prediction of life and economic losses due to potential earthquakes in mainland China in both 1995-2005 and 2006-2020. IES also finished the primary study of building vulnerability map to Sichuan earthquake with magnitude 8.0 occurred in 2008 based on remote sensing data.

IES will provide the quantitative seismic vulnerability analysis method based on the remote sensing data and the application results of building vulnerability map to Sichuan earthquake with magnitude 8.0 occurred in 2008. They will also provide the method to seismic vulnerability prediction and the application of EO Data to the idetification of high seismic risk area of Asia with a scale of 10 years.

Greece

AUTh,Hydraulics Laboratory, Dept. of Civil Eng., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: Coastal Flooding-Risk Analysis ( Determination of hazard, determination of vulnerability, determination of risk), Procedures for mapping the vulnerability, Risk Assessment ( Risk perception and Risk evaluation).

Italy

The EUCENTRE/University of Pavia will perform the activities related to vulnerability estimation from EO data as outlined in the description of activities above.

ISPRA will provide the global catalogue eof earthquake environmental effects compiled within INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) and will take care of the activities related to protection of cultural heritage sites.

(ISPRA) This new contribution would aim at exploiting the potentiality of EO for contributing at the protection from natural hazards of the world cultural heritage (CH), i.e., from archaeological sites to monuments and even museums. Among the most significant sources of hazard for the aforementioned sites are: extreme meteorological events, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, subsidence, coastal erosion.

The proposed actions would be provisionally composed of the following main objectives:

- High resolution georeferenced mapping and imaging of relevant cultural sites in a pilot study area

- Mapping and assessment of potentially harmful natural phenomena affecting CH

- Design and implementation of a dedicated GIS

- Development of a monitoring and warning strategy based on available and future EO sensors

This actions could be carried out within the current Subtask DI-09-01 a) or constitute a new subtask lead by ISPRA with the co-leadership of other interested national or international institutions.

Japan

AIST: High-performance InSAR technology development using JERS/SAR and PALSAR.

GSI: To detect ground surface deformation, mainly triggered by earthquake, volcano, and landslide, with InSAR technique.

NICT. To develop advanced air-bone SAR.

Nigeria

Geography Depart, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria: We want to contribute in the area of disaster vulnerability mapping and risk assessment. Disasters are a result of natural hazards and of human, social, economic and environmental vulnerability. We shall be contributing by mapping of vulnerable areas and sections or groups wothin the country Nigeria.

Norway

NGI can contribute in the following two areas:

a) regional scale mapping of large moving landslides, and

b) local scale mapping of subsidence of infrastructural elements.

Hence, if the focus in the sub-task is too strongly towards seismic risk, NGI cannot contribute.

NGU (The Geological Survey of Norway): Use of satellite radar data for long-time monitoring of areas with subsidence and avalanche risk in Norway.

NORSAR: Separation between active and old stable faultings with INSAR.Separation between active and old stable faultings with INSAR.

Portugal

Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto (FLUP): local and regional climate impacts on risk assessment.

USA

The NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) is working to develop a Community Resilience and Vulnerability Assessment methodology and toolkit. The methodology will be an enhancement of CSC's existing Community Vulnerability Assessment Tool. In addition, CSC has developed a GIS-based coastal inundation mapping training course and is currently working on expanding the course to include tsunami inundation mapping. CSC's regional office is developing tsunami inundation models and maps for the US Pacific Islands territories.

CEOS

CCRS: InSAR Monitoring of active geohazard sites in Canada.

ESA: Implement Action Plan for increased use of INSAR data by geohazard community.

ESA

This sub taks is in connection with INSAR activities (DI-06-03). ESA provides also strong support for the implementation of the Geohazards SuperSites Concept.

ISPRS

Contribute to preparation of reports.

GEO Secretariat’s Comment: Contributing members and Participating Organizations will be possibly involved in Supersites’ selection to tailor contributions’ to the selected specific sites.

Participation