Disaster Damage Assessment with Earth Observation Satellite

Maps can be zoomed in and out and moved on the screen freely by yourself.

ALOS-2 conducted emergency observations several times using different observation ranges, angles, and modes. Below is the ALOS-2 observation history with its high-resolution mode (Stripmap), 50 km swath width, and 3m resolution.

The map below shows the history of ALOS-2 emergency observation by the wide-area observation mode (ScanSAR), which has a 350 km wide and 100m resolution.

The analysis of ALOS-2 observation data acquired before and after the earthquake can detect crustal deformation (uplift and subsidence).

The following map shows the analysis result. "Uplift" is indicated in red, and "subsidence" in blue. In particular, there seems to be approximately 4m of uplift in the northwestern Noto Peninsula.

*Although the analysis result roughly represents the vertical deformation, it differs slightly from the actual vertical direction due to the characteristics of the observation direction (quasi-vertical direction).

In the analysis result below, “eastward” and “westward” deformation are represented in red and blue, respectively, indicating an overall westward variation.

*Although the analysis result roughly represents the deformation in the east-west direction, it differs slightly from the actual east-west direction due to the characteristics of the observation direction (quasi-east-west direction).

 More information on the result of crustal deformation (InSAR）※Japanese 

The following map shows the estimated building damage areas extracted by automatic analysis using ALOS-2 data acquired before and after the earthquake. The estimated number of damaged buildings increases as the color changes from yellow → orange → purple → black. JAXA is developing the technology to provide this information 2.5 hours after the ALOS-2 observation.

 More infomation on ALOS-2 

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 "DAICHI-4" (ALOS-4) is scheduled to be launched on June 30, 2024, aboard the third H3 Launch Vehicle. ALOS-4 will further improve the performance of ALOS-2 by utilizing new technologies to achieve the world's highest resolution and observation coverage.

The ALOS-4 observation swath will be increased from 50 km of ALOS-2 to 200 km while maintaining the same resolution.

In the case of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, ALOS-2 could not observe the entire Noto Peninsula on January 1, so it observed the entire area in four observations conducted until January 8. However, in the case of ALOS-4, it will be able to observe the entire Noto Peninsula as well as Toyama and Niigata prefectures at the same time in a single observation.

The ability of ALOS-4 to observe a wider area is expected to be useful not only for earthquekes but also for various types of disasters with fewer observations.

Furthermore, communicating with an optical data relay satellite will significantly increase the time available for communication with ALOS-4, enabling JAXA to respond to emergency observation requests promptly and to transmit more data to the ground than ever before.

By regularly observing the entire globe, ALOS-4 aims to contribute not only to disaster management but also to diverse fields such as crustal deformation, global environmental changes, and oceans.

 More infomation on ALOS-4 

In the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, fire detections were conducted using GCOM-C, Global Change Observation Mission – Climate.

The image on the right is a short wavelength infrared image observed by GCOM-C on January 1, 2024, at around 10:16 p.m. The night observation shows the presence of hot areas. Depending on the size of the area, red indicates areas with temperatures above 100°C, yellow above 300°C, and white above 400°C, approximately.

During the night of January 1, the entire Noto Peninsula was well cleared, and large fires in Kawai-cho, Wajima City, and Shiromaru, Noto-cho, were automatically detected. Fires in Noto-cho, which are not widely reported, were also detected in the GCOM-C satellite images. It is a strength of satellite observation to observe the affected area evenly.

GCOM-C's fire detection was shared and used by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Building Research Institute (BRI) to investigate the spread of fires in the affected areas.

In the future, satellite observations are expected to detect fire in the affected area more accurately by comparing satellite observations with field surveys.

 More infomation on GCOM-C 

JAXA has been working with disaster management organizations such as ministries and agencies related to disaster management and local governments to demonstrate the use of satellite data for their activities. The results of JAXA's activities are used by disaster management users and are reflected in the development of future satellites and disaster management systems after ALOS-2.

When a disaster occurs, JAXA receives emergency observation requests from users via the "Disaster Management Interface." Then, JAXA conducts emergency observations using ALOS-2 and provides satellite images and information that visualize the extent of the damaged area. In addition, several working groups discuss the practical uses of satellite data in disaster cases.

JAXA also participates in Sentinel Asia and the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters," international cooperation frameworks for disaster management using satellite data. Through those frameworks, JAXA provides satellite data of ALOS-2 when disasters occur in other countries. Furthermore, at the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, satellite data and analysis products were provided from all over the world.

Sentinel Asia is an international cooperative framework that aims to support disaster management activities in the Asia-Pacific region by utilizing space technology. It seeks to mitigate and prevent damage caused by natural disasters by sharing disaster-related information such as Earth observation satellite images on the Internet. Sentinel Asia was proposed at the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) in 2005, and the project team was established the following year. As of May 2024, 115 organizations (98 organizations from 29 countries/regions and 17 international organizations) participate in Sentinel Asia. The activities of Sentinel Asia are steadily expanding.

Sentinel Asia was also activated for the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, and satellite data were provided by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the UAE. In addition, several universities/institutions provided the results of their analysis using satellite data.

The right image is a product provided by the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), Nanyang Technological University, using ALOS-2 data before and after the earthquake.

The estimated damaged area is colored on the product. As the color changes from yellow to red, the estimated damage increases.

The image on the left is a product provided by TASA, using images observed by the FORMOSAT-5, an optical satellite operated by TASA. The estimated damaged area is indicated in yellow.

Unlike SAR satellites, optical satellites use visible light for observations. Therefore, an image from an optical satellite looks like a photograph taken by a camera.

 Sentinel Asia: 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake 

The International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" (Charter) is an international cooperative framework to provide satellite data from space agencies to users during a large-scale disaster. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the French Space Agency (CNES) proposed the charter in 1999, and JAXA officially joined in 2005. As of April 2024, 17 space agencies, including JAXA, are members that provide satellite data. Also, private companies and UN agencies participate as partners.

The charter was also activated for the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, and 353 satellite data sets observed by 18 different types of satellites, including optical and SAR satellites, were provided. Based on those satellite data, 13 products were created by the network of universities and public institutions in Japan that typically respond to major disasters in the country.

The right image was created by the Hiroshima Institute of Technology using images of GeoEye-1, an optical satellite provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Landslides can be observed in the areas circled in red.

The image on the left is a product created by Chiba University about a large-scale fire in Wajima City, observed by the optical satellite GeoEye-1, provided by the USGS.

The yellow polygon indicates an estimated area that was burnt in a fire following the earthquake. The map shows mud displaced by landslides upstream flowing through the Kawarada River out into the sea.

 International Charter "Space and Major Disasters"：2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake 

In the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, disaster management organizations utilized the satellite data provided by JAXA and the information on wide-area damage assessment in their initial response. JAXA received positive feedback that those data and information were useful when the entire disaster scene was not clear.

On the other hand, JAXA believes that improving our data/information provision is necessary based on the lessons learned from these emergency observations and user feedback.

JAXA will continue to support disaster management activities to protect the lives and properties of people by strengthening our systems, including that of ALOS-4, in cooperation with domestic and international disaster management organizations and space agencies.

We pray for the safety of everyone in the affected areas and for early restoration as soon as possible.