UNISPACE III - ISPRS/EARSeL Workshop on 
“Remote Sensing for the Detection, Monitoring 
and Mitigation of Natural Disasters” 
2:30-5:30 pm, 22 July 1999, VIC Room B 
Vienna, Austria 
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PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING IN MONITORING, PREDICTION AND PREVENTION OF 
ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS 
Professor Adam Linsenbarth 
Institute of Geodesy and Cartography 
Warsaw-Poland 
ABSTRACT 
Environmental disasters such as floods, forest fires, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes result in huge damage to the environment. 
from monitoring can be used in early warning systems. Such systems should be georeferenced hence they should be created witliin the 
frame of spatial information systems. In many cases several disasters such as floods or forest fires have huge areal extent which 
sometimes also have a trans-boundary character. For the monitoring of such disasters remote sensing data are of first importance. 
A particular example illustrated in this presentation is the catastrophic flooding which occurred in the summer of 1997 that affected the 
Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. Aerial photographs and ERS radar imagery were used to monitor the damage and these data 
were used in combination with the digital land use data base created witliin the Corine project based on Landsat TM images. The 
problems encountered were studied at a Workshop held in Warsaw in September 1997 when the necessary steps to be undertaken for 
establishing a homogeneous information system for the Oder River catchment, which can be used for flood prevention and forecasting 
were discussed. The proposed system should be based on the homogeneous geodetic reference system in which all terrain information 
collected by the terrestrial, photogrammetric and remote sensing data should be included. A powerful database should be created as a 
core for the water management system. This project is described in detail. 
The role of remote sensing in the forest fire disasters: 
The remote sensing tecluiiques and GIS systems can be used for: 
- prediction of the forest fire risk, 
- monitoring of the forest fires and their spatial extent, 
- inventory of the areas affected by fire and assessment of losses, 
- monitoring of recultivation and reforestation efforts. 
The various tecluiiques that have been developed for these tasks are described. 
Another example of the application of remote sensing for natural disaster monitoring and forecasting can be the so-called Black 
Triangle project conducted by the European Commission within the PHARE programme. The brown coal belt which forms the heart 
of the Black Triangle, stretches from Lower Silesia in Poland, to Southern Saxony in Germany and Northern Bohemia in the Czech 
Republic. The Black Triangle is now Europe’s most polluted region, which covers an area of only 32 400 square kilometres and has 6.4 
million inhabitants. Air pollution in this region is the main environmental problem, with emissions of dust and other pollutants many 
times higher than in other countries. As regards water waste, the appraisal is similarly unfavourable. The majority of waterways are 
unsuitable for use as sources for drinking water. This region belongs to the areas of the highest damage to forests. Witliin the PHARE 
programme for the Black Triangle, the Polish side created the database in which several layers of information are included. The 
georeferenced system is based on the satellite images supported by a Digital Terrain Model. For example, the results of air monitoring 
systems are also incorporated in the data base. Furthermore, on the basis of the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and other hydro 
meteorological data the model for flooding forecasting was prepared. 
Pollution problems cross boundaries and the importance of international co-operation is stressed for the establishment of common 
programmes and systems for early warning, monitoring and prevention. 
Environmental disasters such as flooding, forest fires, volcanic 
eruptions or earthquakes result in major damage to the The most important factors which lead to the application of 
environment. Monitoring of such disasters plays a very' important remote sensing data for monitoring environmental disasters are: 
role in estimating this damage, and the information gathered 
Monitoring of such disasters plays a very important role in the evaluation of damage caused by disasters and the information gathered 
INTRODUCTION 
boundaries. For the monitoring of such disasters remote sensing 
data are of primary importance. 
from monitoring can be used in early warning systems. Such 
systems should be georeferenced and hence they should be 
created witliin the framework of spatial information systems. In 
many cases, disasters such as floods or forest fires cover large 
areas, which sometimes also cross regional and international 
gathered data 
(c) multispectral characteristics of the data 
the affected territory 
(b) the huge and homogenous areal extent of the 
(a) real-time and repetitive up-to-date information of 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXII Part 7C2, UNISPACE m. Vienna, 1999 
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