All Eyes on Nepal – A Success Case for Integrated Observations

Abstract:

When hazards are known it is not a question of if but when the disaster shock will happen and it is critical that all relevant observational data, tools and technologies be accessible and integrated by experts and volunteers to provide reliable, timely and actionable information. In this talk NASA’s coordinated response to the recent Nepal “Gorkha” will be presented as a case study to highlight the opportunities and challenges. Triggered by a global seismic network and the interpretation by operational, research and response agencies, all available assets were quickly mobilized, charters activated to share data, and information gathered to assess impacts. This included assessing available data from optical and radar-based satellites and global positioning systems to baseline pre-event conditions and distinguish immediate and ongoing changes. Models and maps were generated to identify land deformation and damage proxies for communities, resources and infrastructure. Technologies facilitated national and international collaboration among public and private sector institutions to task satellites and optimize integration and processing of data from vital airborne platforms or ingest relevant new data streams. Crowd-sourced data added to the mix and provided a critical source of ground truth that blended with reports from field teams and those in communities. New levels of situational awareness were achieved through integrated data products and the reliance on relationships and new technologies that allowed for volunteers to analyze results in an unprecedented fashion. The results demonstrated how science aided by emerging technologies is changing our implementation of disaster response.