Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

6/3/2025

Rethinking the Reliability of Type 1a Supernovae How do astronomers measure the universe? It all starts with distance. From gauging the size of a galaxy to calculating how fast the universe is expanding, measuring cosmic distances is essential to understanding everything in the sky. For nearby stars, astronomers use... Read More >

Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

5/26/2025

Whether you’re new to remote sensing or a seasoned expert, there is no doubt that large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can be incredibly useful in many aspects of research. From exploring the electromagnetic spectrum to creating object detection models using the latest deep learning... Read More >

From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

4/28/2025

When every second counts, the ability to process geospatial data rapidly and accurately isn’t just helpful, it’s critical. Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) has always played a pivotal role in defense, security, and disaster response. But in high-tempo operations, traditional workflows are no longer fast enough. Analysts are... Read More >

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

4/24/2025

This blog was written by Eli Dwek, Emeritus, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD and Research Fellow, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA. It is the fifth blog in a series showcasing our IDL® Fellows program which supports passionate retired IDL users who may need support to continue their work... Read More >

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

2/25/2025

This blog was written in collaboration with Adam O’Connor from Wyvern. As hyperspectral imaging (HSI) continues to grow in importance, access to high-quality satellite data is key to unlocking new insights in environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry, mining, security, energy infrastructure management, and more.... Read More >

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next Last

«

June 2025

»

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

1

2

3

4

5

13190 Rate this article:

5.0

Using SAR to Map Damage From the Haiti Earthquake

Megan Gallagher Wednesday, August 18, 2021

The Sentinel-1 sensor was used to collect SAR data for DinSAR analysis that was performed with the ENVI® SARscape Analytics Displacement Map workflow. Sentinel-2 Imagery is used as the background images.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday morning August 14, 2021, leaving at least 1,941 people dead and more than 6,900 injured. Casualties are expected to increase over the week as search and rescue continues. Those efforts are currently being complicated by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Grace and blocked roads in the region due to damaged infrastructure and mudslides.

Remotely sensed data can be a life-saving tool following a natural disaster to understand damage and map routes to deliver aid. However, when bad weather is either the cause or follows the event, getting a clear picture of the situation on the ground is difficult. In those situations, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors which capture data at night and see-through cloud cover, dust and smoke, can provide the information needed.

DinSAR analysis is commonly used after events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to show land movement over time. With the surface changes measured at the meter scale, it’s evident that a tremendous amount of energy was released over a large area causing wide-spread destruction and damage to tens of thousands of homes, buildings and critical infrastructure.

The epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. It hit just 11 years after a 7.0 magnitude quake that occurred closer to the densely populated Port-au-Prince, killing an estimated 220,000 to 300,000 people and destroying 100,000 buildings.

Earthquakes in Haiti can be extremely devastating due to it being in a seismically active area with a high population density and buildings designed to hold-up under hurricane-force winds and not earthquakes. Haiti is also prone to mudslides due to its mountainous topography and years of deforestation.

There are two versions of ENVI SARscape to make this data type accessible to everyone, regardless of their knowledge and background. With ENVI SARscape, you can process and analyze SAR data as well as integrate this information with other geospatial products. ENVI SARscape Analytics has straight forward workflows that streamline processing to deliver answers that only SAR data can provide.