Natural disasters, remote sensing, and synthetic controls
Document typeConference report
Defense date2020-05
PublisherBarcelona Supercomputing Center
Rights accessOpen Access
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Abstract
Satellite imagery has been used for decades to study changes
on Earth’s surface and understand the mechanisms that have
shaped it as we know it today. Moreover, substantial improvements
in computing power and the increase of data available
in recent years have boosted interest for this kind of research.
Pixel-based composites of large areas are easily accessible
today thanks to the Google Earth Engine platform[1]. These
are being used to study the evolution of different ecosystems
such as forests[2], as well as the frequency of wildfires. Furthermore,
technological advances over the last decades have
enabled to precisely monitor variations in extreme weather
events[3]. These weather phenomena seem to be larger now
in quantity and size due to the increase of climate volatility[4].
The consequences of natural hazards have been mostly
studied by comparing pre- and post-disaster conditions, or simple
pair-wise comparisons between affected and non-affected
areas, rendering inaccurate estimates[5]. We are interested in
developing a system that, by means of a synthetic control
approach, will enable us to causally evaluate the effects of
disturbances over areas of interest using satellite imagery.
Resilience is another field of interest for the research
community. The decrease in resilience of regions that are
recurrently hit by these events might end up making certain
places inhabitable. For example, extreme weather events already
have their toll on life expectancy in the US[6]. Hence,
large migrations may follow as a result in the long term.
CitationSerra Burriel, F.; Delicado Useros, P.F.; Cucchietti, F. Natural disasters, remote sensing, and synthetic controls. A: . Barcelona Supercomputing Center, 2020, p. 27-28.
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