Remote Sensing in Natural
hazards
Dr. Pawan Kumar Gautam
M.Sc. NET. Ph.D. (Geology)
Application of GIS
GIS Application can be useful in the following activity
To create hazard inventory map
Locate critical facilities
Create and manage associate related database
Vulnerably assessment
Identify disasters and risk zone maps.
Historical/past disaster events details
Post-disaster emergency
Remote sensing and GIS technology for Disaster Management
create an emergency database for people in need of all assistance
in the event of a disaster.
The emergency database contains information about nearby
hospitals, emergency shelters, and more. Disaster risk or impact
maps focus on taking corrective action against disasters.
The GIS Technology is combined with Global Positioning System
(GPS), which will help to receive/update the help from disaster
rescue teams.
GIS for Disaster Management uses remote sensing data to
forecast climate conditions and climate anomalies at any given
point by latitude-longitude coordinates.
Earthquake
Landslide Flood
Natural
disasters
Drought Cyclone
Tsunami
1. Earthquakes
Detects surface deformations using InSAR
(Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar).
Maps active faults and lineaments.
Assesses building collapse and land subsidence post-event
2. Volcanic Hazards
Monitors volcanic eruptions using thermal sensors (hot
spots, lava flow, thermal anomalies, gas emissions, ).
Tracks ash plumes via optical and microwave sensors.
Observes deformation around volcanoes with SAR.
3. Floods
Detects flood extent and waterlogged areas using SAR
(microwave sensors) even under clouds.
Monitors river course changes and embankment breaches.
Provides real-time flood mapping for disaster response.
6. Landslides
Identifies landslide-prone slopes through DEM (Digital
Elevation Model) and vegetation stress analysis using
Multispectral image.
Monitors slope displacement with InSAR time-series.
Maps landslide scars post-disaster.
5. Cyclones / Hurricanes
Satellite-Derived Parameters – Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Ocean Heat Content
(OHC), and cloud dynamics using multispectral and thermal imagery.
Wind & Rainfall Monitoring – Scatterometer and microwave sensors )TRMM, GPM,
AMSR-E) measure wind speed and rainfall distribution over the ocean.
Real-Time Storm Tracking – Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) monitor storm structure
and landfall progression.
A map showing the location of Cyclone Amphan on Tuesday
morning in the Bay of Bengal.
7. Drought
Monitors vegetation health with NDVI, EVI indices.
Detects soil moisture stress using microwave remote sensing.
Provides long-term climate variability data for drought early
warning.
Monsoon intensity
8. Forest Fires
Detects active fire locations with thermal sensors (MODIS,
VIIRS, Sentinel-3).
Maps burnt areas and fire severity.
Assesses smoke and aerosol spread.
9. Tsunami
Pre-event: maps coastal vulnerability and bathymetry.
Early Detection – Ocean surface anomalies and sea-level
changes monitored by satellite altimeters (e.g.,
TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason series).
Post-event: identifies inundated areas, shoreline change, and
infrastructure damage using high-resolution imagery.
Wave Propagation Modeling – DEM and bathymetric
data support tsunami simulation and hazard zonation.
8. Glacial Hazards (GLOFs – Glacial
Lake Outburst Floods)
Monitors glacier retreat and lake formation using optical and
SAR imagery.
Advantages of Remote Sensing in
Hazard Management
Wide-area coverage (regional to global).
Real-time and near-real-time monitoring.
Multispectral & multi-temporal analysis.
Complements ground-based observations for early
warning systems.
Thankyou
