Earthquake

Based on data from the Sentinel-1A satellite, this image shows how and where the land uplifted and sank from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on 25 April 2015. The image was generated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Earth Observation Center (EOC) using data acquired by Sentinel-1A before and after the earthquake event. Image: DLR/EOC.

Definition

Sudden movement of a block of the Earth’s crust along a geological fault and associated ground shaking (IRDR Glossary).

Earthquake can be defined as the shaking of earth caused by waves moving on and below the earth's surface and causing: surface faulting, tremors vibration, liquefaction, landslides, aftershocks and/or tsunamis (WHO).

 

Facts and figures

The size or magnitude of earthquakes is determined by measuring the amplitude of the seismic waves recorded on a seismograph and the distance of the seismograph from the earthquake. These are put into a formula which converts them to a magnitude, which is a measure of the energy released by the earthquake. For every unit increase in magnitude, there is roughly a thirty-fold increase in the energy released. Earthquake magnitude was traditionally measured on the Richter scale. It is often now calculated from seismic moment, which is proportional to the fault area multiplied by the average displacement on the fault (Australian Government).

There are four different types of earthquakes: tectonic, volcanic, collapse and explosion.

  • A tectonic earthquake is one that occurs when the earth's crust breaks due to geological forces on rocks and adjoining plates that cause physical and chemical changes.
  • A volcanic earthquake is any earthquake that results from tectonic forces which occur in conjunction with volcanic activity.
  • A collapse earthquake are small earthquakes in underground caverns and mines that are caused by seismic waves produced from the explosion of rock on the surface.
  • An explosion earthquake is an earthquake that is the result of the detonation of a nuclear and/or chemical device.
 

Further information

USGS Earthquakes
PreventionWeb Earthquakes

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Evento

FRINGE 2021
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The European Space Agency is organising the 11th International Workshop on “Advances in the Science and Applications of SAR Interferometry and Sentinel-1 InSAR”, Fringe 2021.

Format

Fringe 2021 is organised around:

  • Papers and e-posters selected by the Scientific Committee;
  • Invited papers on ESA-funded studies and Sentinel-1 and future ESA SAR mission status reports;
  • Round-table discussions with seed questions prepared by the session chairpersons and ESA.

The event will take place from 31 May - June 4 2021. No participation fees will be charged.

Objectives

  • To bring together the global InSAR research and development communities and facilitate international exchange between researchers and research groups; 
  • To present the Sentinel-1 mission status, algorithms and products;
  • To review and assess the progress according to the recommendations voiced at FRINGE... read more
POLINSAR 2021
Banner for POLINSAR 2021. Image: ESA.

The European Space Agency is organising the 10th International Workshop on Science and Applications of SAR Polarimetry and Polarimetric Interferometry, POLINSAR 2021.

Date(s)

The workshop will take place online from 26 to 30 April 2021.

Objectives

  • Provide a forum for scientific exchange 
  • Present the latest exploitation results from full-pol airborne and spaceborne systems and assess the state-of-the-art
  • Review retrieved bio-geophysical parameters and their accuracy
  • Make recommendations for algorithm development and new products
  • Support the preparation for ESA and Third Parties full-pol missions exploitation (BIOMASS, NOVASAR-S, RCM, SAOCOM, TerraSAR-L etc.)
  • Present innovative polarimetric applications and ideas for future polarimetric mission concepts Report on the status of POLinSAR 2019 recommendations

Sessions

Virtual Panel: Current and Future Needs for Emergency Prevention, Response and Recovery Mapping
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The role of the Earth Observation industry in emergency situations and crisis response has significantly grown in recent years. Climate change brought forest fires, floods and other emergency states that have put Earth Observation and its data to the forefront. Data provided by the Earth Observation industry provides insights that allow emergency services to put their action plan in place appropriately and act timely. During this panel we will talk about Earth Observation data's role in emergency prevention, response and recovery mapping in the context of Copernicus Emergency Management Services and other emergency services.

Panelists:

  • Jens Danzeglocke, Space Administration & Earth Observation, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
  • Franck Ranera, Strategic Partner Development Manager, Serco
  • Philippe Campenon, Government Sales, Planet Labs
  • Moderator: Annett Wania, Innovation Project Manager, Planet Labs

The event will take... read more

Introduction to Population Grids and their Integration with Remote Sensing Data for Sustainable Development and Disaster Management
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Having reliable and timely population distribution data can make a life or death difference for individuals facing crises or living in conflict-ridden regions. These data are also essential for development decision-making and planning and for monitoring progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the international community. We need to know where people are located, what conditions they are facing, what infrastructure is available, and what basic services they can access. We also need to ensure that no one is left off the map in pursuit of meeting the SDGs. 

Gridded population data, which often use remote sensing inputs to improve the spatial allocation of population within a country, are vital for all these purposes. Together with the  growing variety of applications that require spatial population data, there is now a bewildering array of population grids, and users need to know which ones are most suitable for their applications.

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Noticias

ESA picks next Earth Explorer mission: Harmony
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The objective of Earth Explorer missions is to “focus on the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and Earth's interior with an overall emphasis on learning more about the interactions between these systems and the impact that human activity is having on Earth's... read more

Publishing date: 05/03/2021
Atlas of the Human Planet 2020 report highlights impact of GHSL data on disaster risk management
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A new report outlines the impact of Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data on various policy areas. The 2020 edition of the “Atlas of the Human Planet”, recently published and launched virtually by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission as a deliverable to the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Human Planet Initiative, explores the impact of GHSL data on various policy areas, including disaster risk management.

GHSL data refers to “global spatial information, evidence-based analytics and knowledge describing the human presence on the planet”. This data relies on spatial information from Landsat 8, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2. It is mainly cost-free and... read more

Publishing date: 18/02/2021
Disasters programme at NASA partakes in Anticipation Hub
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The Disasters programme unit at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently joined a newly launched online platform aimed at placing anticipatory action on the humanitarian agenda. NASA’s involvement in the Anticipation Hub and the subsequent incorporation of Earth observation (EO) tools, serves to improve the capabilities of anticipatory action globally and demonstrates the potential of utilizing satellite-driven data for anticipatory action in disaster management.

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Publishing date: 02/02/2021
UNOOSA and NASA sign landmark Memorandum of Understanding to advance peaceful uses of outer space

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government (NASA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 17 December 2020 pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful uses of outer space.

The MoU brings together NASA's wealth of open-source spacecraft data, tools, and expertise and UNOOSA's unique position as the only UN entity dedicated to outer space affairs, to expand global opportunities to leverage the benefits of space. The partners will design capacity-building programmes, particularly for institutions in countries that do not yet have or that are developing space capabilities, to help them access space.

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Publishing date: 11/01/2021

Data Source

World Environment Situation Room (WESR - UNEP)
Publishing institution: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Global High Resolution Population Density Maps (Facebook Connectivity Lab, CIESIN)
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Publishing institution: Facebook Connectivity Lab, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) - Columbia University
Facebook Connectivity Lab in collaboration with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Colombia University combines machine vision AI with satellite imagery and census information to create population density maps. With the integration of demographic information, specifically related to age and gender, these maps collectively provide information on both the location and the demographic of a population in a certain country. The population density maps cover the majority of countries around the world.

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