During earthquake response and recovery we can help identify damaged infrastructure, support search and rescue, and determine other impacts with our expertise in sensor networks and remote sensing.
Large-magnitude earthquakes near cities and towns can cause catastrophic devastation, destroying buildings and infrastructure. Earthquakes near coastlines or under oceans can generate tsunamis severe enough to cause extensive damage to coastal regions.
Meanwhile, aftershocks — subsequent earthquakes that occur after the initial event — may continue for weeks, causing additional damage and hampering recovery.
NASA's Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) program uses radar and optical remote sensing, GPS and seismic observations to investigate earthquakes. With ARIA, maps of an earthquake can be made within a day to several days afterwards, depending on the availability of earliest post-earthquake radar observations.
View NASA resources for earthquakes on the NASA Disasters Mapping Portal
NASA also uses airborne science instruments to assess earthquake impact. These include:
Optical:
- Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS)
- Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer - Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG)
Radar:
- Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR)
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)
- Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO)
