Collaborative Research: Optimization of Remote Sensing Networks for Time-sensitive Detection of Fine Scale Damage to Critical Infrastructure

San Diego State University Foundation, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

The focus of this study is on assessing damage to infrastructure following major hazard events such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and wildfires. The premise is that some infrastructure (e.g., bridges and hospitals), particularly in cities, is so critical to saving human lives and supporting emergency response actions that near real-time information on the damage status of such infrastructure is essential and yet may be difficult to ascertain with conventional, ground observations and sensor networks that may not be functioning following a disaster. A potential solution to this post-hazard information access challenge is to design and implement flexible, ready-to-deploy, time-sensitive aerial imaging systems based on a small manned or unmanned aircraft and commercially available digital cameras. The key is to determine which infrastructure types are truly "critical" and then design and pre-plan low-cost systems that meet maximum time to delivery and minimum damage information reliability requirements of emergency managers. Aerial imagery from before and after a hazard event are precisely aligned and then compared to enable infrastructural damages to be detected, mapped and disseminated to emergency managers in such a short amount of time that emergency response actions can be taken to minimize loss of lives and inconveniences. The research components of this study involve interviews and inquiries into emergency management information requirements pertaining to critical infrastructure following disaster events, as well as technical studies pertaining to the aerial imaging work flow. Emergency managers will be surveyed to prioritize critical infrastructural features and determine what types of damages they may be subjected to and how soon information about such damage is needed in order to be appropriately responsive. While a seemingly obvious first step, most aerial imaging technology studies and implementations fail to take this step and when they do, fail to deal with the time sensitivity of information delivery. The technical design of rapid-response systems based on aerial imaging technology will be informed by the synthesis of survey responses. Such systems involve flight planning, image capture, processing, and analysis, and damage information delivery to emergency managers. Incorporating wireless transfer of imagery and map products may be part of optimizing this information flow. All of these components and the end-to-end system will be evaluated in terms of their utility to the surveyed emergency managers. Procedures for optimizing the time to delivery of damage information while meeting minimum detail and precision requirements will be developed. These procedures and a prototype end-to-end system will be tested for simulated events involving emergency managers in New Mexico and California.