Home > Virtual Disaster Viewer
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Advancing Earthquake Reconnaissance in MS Virtual Earth  An international consortium, including EERI, has supported the development of a first of its kind “social networking tool” for earthquake impact assessment - an online Virtual Disaster Viewer (VDV). Developed in conjunction with Microsoft Virtual Earth, VDV represents an exciting combination of new technologies, including satellite imagery-based damage and situation assessments by international teams of expert engineers, along with geo-referenced ground photographs and videos collected by field teams. VDV represents a new way of remotely viewing a disaster area and generating preliminary estimates of earthquake damage, when access to the affected area is restricted. It is currently being tested by a small group of EERI members, as well as representatives from other organizations in the consortium.
This new tool, which can be viewed here , provides a virtual experience of the disaster situation, for events where there is limited access to the disaster zone, and when experts are unable to visit themselves. It offers an alternative method of rapid and robust damage assessment, based on expert interpretation of satellite imagery, which can be validated later as field observations are made. Read more … 
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 Damaged building, Bailu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: V. Cedillos, Project Manager, GeoHazards Intl]  Ground settlement in Bailu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: V Cedillos, GeoHazards Intl]  Fault rupture at Bailu Middle School did little damage to new building (left), Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Temporary housing in Bailu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: V Cedillos, GeoHazards Intl]  Timber lace construction, Bailu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: V Cedillos, GeoHazards Intl]  Bridge, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Collapsed spans of reinforced concrete arch bridge, Xiao Yu Dong [photo: Build Change]  GaoYuan Bridge [photo: Build Change]  Han Wang High School shear wall, external view [photo: Build Change]  Adjacent bldgs may have averted collapse of 5-story masonry bldg in Dujiangyan [photo: Build Change]  Ground floor column failure (see previous image) [photo: Build Change]  6-story unreinforced masonry bldg with precast concrete plank floors, Dujiangyan [photo: Build Change]  Precast concrete plank rubble, collapsed unreinforced masonry bldg, Dujiangyan [photo: Build Change]  Damaged multistory building, Dujiangyan, Wenchuan [photo: V Cedillos, GeoHazards Intl]  Damaged 6-story residential bldg, Dujiangyan, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Temporary housing, Dujiangyan, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: V Cedillos, GeoHazards Intl]  Dujiangyan Shelter, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Shelter in Dujiangyan, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Reconnaissance team near Gaoyuan Village, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Damaged buildings at Lidui Park, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Residential building, Phoenix Lane, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Shenxigou, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Tonji Middle School, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Xiaoyudong Bridge damaged by fault rupture thrusting abutment, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Collapse of bldgs straddling fault running through town of Xiaoyudong, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Damaged aluminum plant at Xuankou, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Landslide in Yinchanggou, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Damaged building in Yingxiu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Interview with local colleague in Yingxiu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]  Extensive damage in Yingxiu, Wenchuan 2008 [photo: M Lew]
Additional images avalable on CD-ROM  Church in town of Santa Cruz Analquito not damaged at all in January and seriously damaged in February  Seriously damaged church in Sonsonate  View of a destroyed adobe house in Candelaria  Damage to house in Cojutepeque  Significant lateral spreading on banks of Rio Lempa  Corroded pilings at the Port of Triunfo fell during the earthquake
Learning from Earthquakes
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