At 7:49 (Beijing time) April 14, 2010，a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Qinghai Province. Hours after the quake struck, CEODE's (Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth, CAS) remote sensing aircraft headed for the quake-hit zone to gather data for the disaster relief efforts.

At 13:56 on April 14, CEODE’s airborne remote sensing aircrafts equipped with high-resolution optical cameras left from Mianyang Airport for the earthquake-hit area, Yushu. On the night of April 14, the first batch of airborne remote sensing data for the earthquake-hit area arrived in Beijing. Research personnel threw themselves immediately into the processing and information extraction of the data, and prepared the reports on damage monitoring in Yushu and other areas. The reports have been submitted to the state agencies concerned and the local governments.

The assessment on seismic damages in this area by CEODE researchers based on airborne images is as follows:

The building collapse rate in the entire area monitored by remote sensing reaches 61.7%, and it is related to types of buildings. Ranch houses have been seriously damaged, but frame structure buildings such as office buildings and buildings in living quarters have withstood the earthquake, with only a few houses fully collapsing. The earthquake-hit area organized self-rescue activities and have erected over 40 relief tents in the stadium of Yushu.

In addition, disaster monitoring and assessment was carried out by CEODE researchers on collapsed buildings in 4 schools in Yushu. Three ranch houses in front of the main teaching building of the No. 2 Middle School collapsed, but main structures of other buildings remain intact; four ranch houses in Sanwan Primary School collapsed, but main structures of other buildings survived; four ranch houses and one building in Yushu Radio & TV University collapsed; and over 3/4 ranch houses and buildings in Yushu Health School collapsed.

CEODE also provides relevant government agencies with the Landsat-5, Spot-5 images showing the pre-earthquake and post-earthquake circumstance in Qinghai. 

Ministries and institutes involved in the quake relief promptly acquired the satellite and airborne remote sensing data by access to CEODE website, that including China Earthquake Administration, National Disaster Reduction, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Headquarters of PLA General Staff Bureau of Surveying and Mapping. (http://english.ceode.cas.cn/ns/icn/201004/t20100415_53151.html).

Fig. 1 The remote sensing interpretation result of collapsed buildings in Yushu (building collapse rate: 61.7%)
(Those in red-frame areas are collapsed buildings and those in green-frame are survived buildings with intact main structures)(Picture/CEODE)

Fig. 2 Serious collapse of surrounding buildings in Zhaxike guardhouse in Yushu (Picture/CEODE)