Rapid mapping in support of emergency response after earthquake events

Earthquakes and other sudden onset natural disasters require quick and efficient emergency response. Earth observation (EO) data can make a valuable contribution to emergency response efforts if provided within hours and at the most days after the event. Mechanisms like the International Charter Space and Major Disasters and the European GMES Emergency Response Service provide the necessary basis for an efficient and rapid provision of EO data and damage mapping. This paper provides an overview of earthquake damage assessment methodologies, their potential and their limitations in a rapid mapping context and outlines a methodology for casualty estimation. Two case studies—the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Van (Turkey) earthquake—are presented, where DLR’s Center for satellite-based crisis information (ZKI) provided rapid damage maps using a team-based visual interpretation approach. Additionally, the application of a casualty estimation method in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake is outlined.