Damage assessment exploiting remote sensing imagery: Review of the typhoon Haiyan case study

Abstract

The present paper aims to review the role satellite remote sensing played during the response phase to the largest (in terms of mortality) natural disaster occurred in 2013, i.e. the tropical typhoon Haiyan that struck the Philippines in November 2013. The outcomes of a thorough analysis of the emergency mapping products (about 750 maps) released in the aftermath of the event and in the following weeks are analyzed, with the goal to derive information and statistics on the main product types, the underlying datasets and the input data. Focusing on the damage assessment maps based on satellite data, operational tests on satellite imagery semi-automated classification techniques aimed at automatically extract damaged buildings will be described and discussed.