Detection of Earthquake-Induced Damages Using Polarimetric SAR Remote Sensing

In this study, capability of the L-band PALSAR-2 data in detecting structural failures and landslides was investigated. In particular, the usability of polarimetric change detection for automatic identification of damages was evaluated. Experimental results indicate a high potential of utilizing fully polarimetric measurements for detecting damaged area. The dominant scatter type indicator can provide useful information on identifying collapsed building. In addition, the co-polarization coherence and the volume scattering power indicating signal depolarization properties can be useful parameters for detecting landslide affected areas.