Use of mobile mapping technology for post-disaster damage information collection and integration with remote sensing imagery

After a severe disaster, information concerning the spatial extent and severity of urban damage is demanded by emergency response personnel, and also by reconnaissance teams conducting post-disaster impact assessments. Data requirements have traditionally been met through ground-based damage surveys during the days and weeks following the event. However, the integration of remote sensing data and geo-referenced damage information collected in the field can effectively streamline, accelerate, and increase the volume and diversity of data captured during post-disaster reconnaissance. The paper describes mobile reconnaissance and mapping applications recently developed to support urban damage scale development, and to validate damage detection activities following major disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.