The Quakes Concept for Observing and Mitigating Natural Disasters

Geodetic imaging is useful for measuring topography and motions of the Earth’s surface. Geodetic imaging measurements can be used, for example, to measure earthquakes, landslides, debris flows, wildfire extent, volcanos, and anthropogenic changes such as fluid withdrawal from aquifers. Different geodetic measurements sample different parts of the spatio-temporal deformation field. Combining the measurements and analysis improves understanding of a broad range of Earth surface processes. Here we describe a concept to Quantify Uncertainty and Kinematics of Earth Systems (QUAKES) that combines radar interferometry and optical imaging into one airborne platform and the analysis system required to analyze and model the data.