Analysis of Single-Pol and Quad-Pol Damage Indicators for Extraction of Building Damages Caused by 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake

In this study, different single-pol and quad-pol parameters to highlight building damages from the time-series SAR data were reviewed and the effects of the polarimetric diversity and temporal resolution in detection of damaged urban areas were investigated. Experimental results showed the necessity of baseline time-series data constructed before the earthquake to detect damaged areas using single-pol SAR data, and the shorter the time gap between the baseline time-series data and the onset of earthquake, the more effective to detect the building damages. On the other hand, the use of quad-pol damage indicators associated with characteristic scattering mechanisms in urban areas can reduce false-alarms in natural changes and improve detectability in building-damaged areas despite of relatively longer temporal baseline.