ABSTRACT
Satellites provide critical global views for natural hazard characterization in advance of a crisis, as well as immediate damage assessment during or after a natural disaster. While ground and aircraftbased observations are also essential tools for hazard assessment and disaster response, satellites provide advantages to observe an area spanning hundreds of kilometres that may have had significant damage to infrastructure. Radar images can be compared in multiple ways to measure ground changes before and during natural hazard events, like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, wildfires and landslides. Radar has unique capabilities compared with other remote sensing techniques; radar can ‘see’ through clouds and at night. More than a dozen civilian radar satellites are now available; the use of radar images has increased. New satellites with multisensors are required to monitor all potential hazards associated with land, ocean and atmosphere.
