Daily Nighttime Lights for Rapid Post-Earthquake Damage Assessment: Multi-Scale and Azimuthal Differences from the Mw 7.7 Myanmar Earthquake.
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| Title: | Daily Nighttime Lights for Rapid Post-Earthquake Damage Assessment: Multi-Scale and Azimuthal Differences from the Mw 7.7 Myanmar Earthquake. |
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| Authors: | Wu, Zihao1 (AUTHOR), Li, Xue1,2 (AUTHOR) leexue1211@hubdzj.gov.cn, Hu, Xiaoyi1,2 (AUTHOR), Huang, Yani1,2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Remote Sensing. May2026, Vol. 18 Issue 9, p1371. 25p. |
| Subjects: | Satellite-based remote sensing, Spatial variation, Earthquakes, Emergency medical services, Remote sensing, Earthquake hazard analysis, Data analysis |
| Geographic Terms: | Myanmar |
| Abstract: | Highlights: What are the main findings? Daily VIIRS nighttime lights enable stable early post-earthquake mapping of impacted areas and reveal pronounced azimuthal asymmetry within intensity zones. Multi-scale analyses are complementary, with patch-based mapping better aligning with built-up objects at 500 m resolution and showing higher agreement with CEMS in well-lit urban areas. What are the implications of the main findings? Incorporating intensity and azimuth information improves the sensitivity of rapid post-earthquake damage assessment to spatial heterogeneity. The proposed framework supports timely identification of severely affected areas and priority-based allocation of emergency resources. On 28 March 2025, a Mw 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar, where rapid mapping of early impacts is crucial for post-earthquake assessment and emergency response. Existing nighttime light studies often emphasize single-scale brightness loss, with limited characterization of azimuthal differences within intensity zones and their coupling with population/building exposure, although these factors are essential for explaining spatially uneven earthquake impacts and for improving the interpretation of nighttime light loss patterns. This study integrates daily VIIRS nighttime lights (500 m) with USGS intensity and population/building density to build an intensity–azimuth framework with six directional sectors, quantify pre-/post-earthquake changes at county, patch, and pixel scales, apply bivariate LISA to detect local coupling patterns, and validate against CEMS Rapid Mapping. The results show clear scale complementarity: county aggregation robustly delineates the macro impact extent but smooths internal contrasts; pixel analysis captures fragmented disturbances yet is noise-sensitive; patch-based mapping best aligns with built-up areas at 500 m resolution and shows higher agreement with CEMS in well-lit urban areas. Azimuth–intensity patterns indicate more concentrated NTL reduction in north–south high-intensity zones (NTL = −0.53–−15.67 nW·cm−2·sr−1), with local rebounds in some east–west sectors. The framework provides interpretable support for rapid loss assessment and priority-based resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Highlights: What are the main findings? Daily VIIRS nighttime lights enable stable early post-earthquake mapping of impacted areas and reveal pronounced azimuthal asymmetry within intensity zones. Multi-scale analyses are complementary, with patch-based mapping better aligning with built-up objects at 500 m resolution and showing higher agreement with CEMS in well-lit urban areas. What are the implications of the main findings? Incorporating intensity and azimuth information improves the sensitivity of rapid post-earthquake damage assessment to spatial heterogeneity. The proposed framework supports timely identification of severely affected areas and priority-based allocation of emergency resources. On 28 March 2025, a Mw 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar, where rapid mapping of early impacts is crucial for post-earthquake assessment and emergency response. Existing nighttime light studies often emphasize single-scale brightness loss, with limited characterization of azimuthal differences within intensity zones and their coupling with population/building exposure, although these factors are essential for explaining spatially uneven earthquake impacts and for improving the interpretation of nighttime light loss patterns. This study integrates daily VIIRS nighttime lights (500 m) with USGS intensity and population/building density to build an intensity–azimuth framework with six directional sectors, quantify pre-/post-earthquake changes at county, patch, and pixel scales, apply bivariate LISA to detect local coupling patterns, and validate against CEMS Rapid Mapping. The results show clear scale complementarity: county aggregation robustly delineates the macro impact extent but smooths internal contrasts; pixel analysis captures fragmented disturbances yet is noise-sensitive; patch-based mapping best aligns with built-up areas at 500 m resolution and shows higher agreement with CEMS in well-lit urban areas. Azimuth–intensity patterns indicate more concentrated NTL reduction in north–south high-intensity zones (NTL = −0.53–−15.67 nW·cm−2·sr−1), with local rebounds in some east–west sectors. The framework provides interpretable support for rapid loss assessment and priority-based resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 20724292 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/rs18091371 |
