Developing a method for urban damage mapping using radar signatures of building footprint in SAR imagery: A case study after the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan

In this study, a practical methodology was presented to map damaged buildings using high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and post-event building damage data from the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan, in Tacloban city, the Philippines. To detect destroyed structures, we focused on the changes in the radar signal within footprints of buildings between pre- and post-event SAR images. The method was tested using a 1.0 m resolution COSMO-SkyMed SAR images taken over Tacloban city, the Philippines. The method proves, with 73% accuracy in this case, to be suitable for estimating destroyed buildings.