Rapid image product generation from high-resolution satellite imagery for disaster management

Abstract

The Indian-ocean tsunami occurring on the morning of 26 December 2004 caused the most devastating disaster in the known history of Thailand. Remotely-sensed data, particularly high-resolution satellite imagery such as 1m Ikonos images, played a crucial role as an up-to-date post-event information source for a variety of user groups including rescue teams, relief and aid workers, and policy makers. However, ready-to-use low-level image products shipped by the provider can contain absolute positioning errors ranging from 5 - 30 m. Mismatches can therefore occur when georectified imagery is overlaid with vector data such as transportation networks or landmarks and this can complicate further an..