Remote sensing and spatial multi-criteria analysis for tsunami vulnerability assessment
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the vulnerability of the Kesennuma area in Japan to a tsunami disaster and to map the area of inundation.
Design/methodology/approach
Digital elevation model (DEM) data and ALOS image were used to create maps of the parameters of this study area: elevation, slope, coastal proximity, river, and land use. An analytical hierarchy process was used to assign weights to each parameter and a spatial multi-criteria analysis was applied through cell-based modelling for vulnerability mapping.
Findings
The vulnerability map shows that 17.679 km2 of the area could be inundated by a tsunami. High vulnerability areas were mostly found in coastal areas with a sloping coast and a cape area. A low elevation and the presence of rivers or water channels are factors that increase the impact of tsunamis. Inundation areas were predicted to spread in areas identified as having either high vulnerability or slightly high vulnerability.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the limited geospatial data, the authors encourage further studies using DEM data with a high spatial resolution.
Practical implications
The results of this research can be used as basic information for disaster mitigation and urban planning in coastal areas.
Originality/value
This research creates a new approach for assessing which areas could be inundated by tsunamis, based on the vulnerability map generated through remote sensing and spatial multi-criteria analysis. Moreover, the parameters used are very close to those of actual inundation maps.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the ALOS images, the Global Land Cover Facility for the SRTM data, and the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) for providing the basic map of the study area. The authors are grateful to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Joint Survey Group for making tsunami survey data available. The authors also thank the Indonesia Directorate General for Higher Education for the scholarship. A part of this paper was presented at the International Symposium of Japan Association for Earthquake Engineering, JAEE held on November 8-10, 2012 in Tokyo.
Citation
Bakar Sambah, A. and Miura, F. (2014), "Remote sensing and spatial multi-criteria analysis for tsunami vulnerability assessment", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 271-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-05-2013-0082
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited