Assessing vulnerability in Istanbul: An example to support disaster management with remote sensing at ZKI-DLR

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the potential of remote sensing for support of disaster management in the disaster preparedness as well as in the disaster response with a focus on vulnerability assessment in Istanbul. With the focus on the megacity Istanbul the capabilities of remote sensing to assess vulnerability are presented. Explosive population growth, uncontrolled urban sprawl, housing at hazardous areas or bad building materials in combination with a significant risk of a major earthquake present acute danger to the population. Substantial and up-to-date data, area-wide data are premise of an effective crisis management. Furthermore, assessing vulnerabilities of the megacity are fundamental to enabling counteractive measures before an expected earthquake disaster as well as preparing for the post-earthquake response. This paper presents not only an overview of the capabilities of remote sensing to assess indicators of vulnerability, but shows also examples what remote sensing can contribute as a source of information in an acute emergency, crisis or disaster situation.