Detection of Disaster Damage Using Changes of City Lights with DMSP/OLS Data in Asia Pacific Region
Izumi Nagatani*, Genya Saito**, Masafumi Kodama*, Xianfang Song** and Chris Eluvidge***
* Computer Center for AFFR, MAFF, Tsukuba, Japan
2-1-2 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, JAPAN
** National Institute of Agro-Environmental Science, MAFF
3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, JAPAN
***NOAA National Geophysical Data Center
325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
Key Words
Disaster Mitigation, Satellite Image, Network, Database System, DMSP/OLS
Abstract
This research is a part of ANDES (Asia Pacific Network for Disaster Mitigation using Earth Observation Satellite) project. The objective of this project is to detect and inform disasters in Asia-Pacific region as soon as possible by using satellite data and high-capacity network systems.
The disaster damage of volcano eruption of Mt Usu, Hokkaido, Japan was detected using the city lights data of DMSP/OLS.
1. Introduction
Now, as global environmental changes such as global warming, anomalous climatic changes, desertification and others are facing urgently to the mankind. They cause serious problems on water, food and energy supporting mankind life. To understand the mechanisms of global environmental change is important and to develop the system of early detecting and warning disasters using satellites is required.
In order to detect and inform disasters in Asia Pacific region as soon as possible, Asia Pacific Network for Disaster Mitigation using Earth Observation Satellite (ANDES) project was started on October 1, 1998 (Kodama,2000, Saito,1999, Song,2000). The ANDES project has executed four study themes, which are Real-time Archiving, Forest Fire, Agriculture Disaster, and Heavy Rain.
It is well known that the meteorological satellite sensors have an ability to detect wildfires (Elvidge,1997). Recently, the meteorological satellite data are tried to use for detection of disaster damage (Takashima,2000). ANDES project are trying to use them for practical utility functions of the detection and early warning system.
The main satellite data used for this project are NOAA/AVHRR, GMS, DMSP/OLS, and TRMM. These data are processed and archived in the Satellite Image Database System for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (SIDaB), which is managed by Computer Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan.
DMSP/OLS are suitable for the early identification of earthquake damage area (Hayashi,2000), because that DMSP/OLS possesses a wide swath, high overpass frequency, and high sensitivity for night-time observations in its visible-near infrared waveband (0.47 to 0.95 um).
In March, 2000, The volcanic eruption occurred at Mt.Usu in Hokkaido Japan. There were many influences on human activities. About four thousands people were forced the evacuation for about one month and there were electric power failures in over two thousands houses. The disaster damage will be detected using city lights data by DMSP/OLS.
2. Outline of SIDaB
This research is using SIDaB, therefore the outline of SIDaB will be described at first.
SIDaB is Satellite Image Database System in AFF. Using this system, the user could search and download freely satellite images as he wants through internet. The user could select data easily by menu of times span, area, and also format of data. This system is not only for the researchers in MAFF, Japan, but also for the ordinary person in MAFF and other administrative, environment and disaster prevention agency in Asia and all over world.
SIDaB have collected earth observation and meteorological satellite data and stored from the institutes of MAFF, the relation agencies and institutes of overseas using median of DAT or network. The using network is following.
- Receiving of transmitting of data between the institutes of MAFF using Japan Gigabit Network (JGN)
- Receiving of transmitting of data between overseas using Network of APAN.
- Receiving of transmitting of data between domestic agencies and MAFF using Inter-Ministry Research Information network (IMnet).
Fig. 1 The Map of APAN Network
The meteorological satellite data, NOAA/AVHRR, GMS, DMSP/OLS, and the tropical rainfall measuring mission TRMM are archived in the SIDaB system. These data has been transferred in real-time or near real-time data from each receiving station or data provider using high performance network to the Computer Center for AFFR, MAFF, Japan.
