**3.3.4 Physical quantity assessment**

In the following Physical Quantity Assessment process, with the help of data reported by local government, we carefully assessed the physical quantity of houses, roads, power facilities, communication facilities, water conservation facilities, municipal utilities and land resources in UAV and airborne images to estimate approximate direct economic loss. It is worth to mention that some damage quantity ignored in field investigation was detected in remote sensing images, such as submerse street trees, telegraph poles, smart street pavilions.

According to remote sensing images and ground investigation verification result (Figure 29), in rush destroyed region, collapsed residential building area was about 125,000 m2, seriously damaged area was about 102,000 m2, minor damaged area was about 147,000 m2. In flooded region, collapsed building area was around 419,827 m2.

High Resolution Remote Sensing Images Based Catastrophe Assessment Method 199

Throughout the three cases discussed in this chapter, one interesting thing is that the importance of remote sensing images is increasing in the whole process of disaster assessment: preliminary assessment step, disaster scope and damage assessment step, and physical quantity assessment. Also, the resolution of remote sensing images is improved, from 0.5m to 0.2m, providing more accurate data for assessment and decision making.

Although the whole process of integration of remote sensing images and data from ground investigation has been growing mature, the sample region choosing, physical quantity

Another thing to notice is that, automatic operation system is needed to connect the whole disaster assessment flow to provide efficient and accurate data for decision making. The satellite-airplane-ground disaster monitoring and assessment system is the trend we are and

This chapter is sponsored by High Resolution Earth Observation System Project of China.

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Fan, Y.; Yang, S. & Wang, L. et al. (2008a). Study on Urgent Monitoring and Assessment in

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**4. Conclusion** 

assessment still need further improvement.

will realize in the near future.

1007-4619.

**5. Acknowledgment** 

**6. References** 

Fig. 29. Housing damage assessment map

Roads were divided into 3 classes (Figure 30): provincial road, urban road and rural road. According to remote sensing assessment result, 2 provincial roads were damaged, with a length of 2 km; 25 urban roads were damaged, with a length of 7.5 km; 5 rural roads were damaged, with a length of 4.8 km. Three bridges of a total length of 242 meters were out of function.

Fig. 30. Road and bridge damage assessment map

The physical quantity assessment results were used for direct economic losses estimation. It is for the first time for China that remote sensing images are integrated into the national catastrophe assessment flow as a major data source.
