Co-seismic surface effects from very high resolution panchromatic images: the case of the 2005 Kashmir (Pakistan) earthquake

The use of Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite
panchromatic image is nowadays an effective tool to
detect and investigate surface effects of natural disasters.
We specifically examined the capabilities of VHR images
to analyse earthquake features and detect changes based on
the combination of visual inspection and automatic classification
tools. In particular, we have used Quickbird (0.6m
spatial resolution) images for detecting the three main coseismic
surface features: damages, ruptures and landslides.
The present approach has been applied to the 8 October 2005,
Mw7.6 Kashmir, Pakistan, earthquake. We have focused our
study in and around the main urban areas hit by the above
earthquake specifically at Muzaffarabad and Balakot towns.
The automatic classification techniques provided the best results
wherever dealing with the damage to man-made structures
and landslides. On the other hand, the visual inspection
method demonstrated in addressing the identification of
rupture traces and associated features. The synoptic view
(concerning landslide, more than 190 millions of pixels have
been automatically classified), the spatiotemporal sampling
and the fast automatic damage detection using satellite images
provided a reliable contribution to the prompt response
during natural disaster and for the evaluation of seismic hazard
as well.

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