Web-based Virtual Disaster Viewer Advances
Post-Earthquake Investigations
2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster Results Available
A prototype of the Virtual Disaster Viewer was used following the Wenchuan earthquake.
MCEER, through its Remote Sensing Institute, is part of an international consortium that is developing a unique Virtual Disaster Viewer (VDV). Based on MS Virtual Earth, the VDV offers a new way to view a disaster zone and generate preliminary assessments of earthquake damage from high-resolution satellite imagery, particularly when access to the affected area is restricted.
A prototype of the VDV was deployed as part of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the Geo-Engineering Earthquake Reconnaissance (GEER) Association reconnaissance activities following the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Post-disaster imagery of the YingXiu area, along with GPS-referenced photographs and video, and satellite image-based expert interpretations of building/bridge damage, landslide areas, and tent count/characteristics, is available at http://vdv.mceer.buffalo.edu/.
ImageCat, Inc./Ltd. is leading the development and data integration effort. In addition to MCEER, other team members are the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) of the Institution of Structural Engineers in London, University College London’s Earthquake and People Interaction Centre (EPICentre), and the UK Government’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
For more information, contact , ImageCat.
