SENTINEL ASIA
ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Sentinel Asia
Annual Report 2022
Contents
1. Introduction ·············································································· 1
1.1.

Purpose and Scope of the Document ·························································· 1

1.2.

Structure of the Document ········································································ 1

1.3.

List of Acronyms····················································································· 2

2. Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters ················································ 4
2.1.

Outline of Sentinel Asia ············································································ 42.1.1. Background and History of Sentinel Asia ···················································· 4
2.1.2. Aims and Activities of Sentinel Asia in a Nutshell ·········································· 6
2.1.3. Framework and Emergency Observation Mechanisms of Sentinel Asia·············· 7
2.1.4. Current Phase (Step 3) and Ongoing Actions of Sentinel Asia ························· 8
2.2.

Major Disasters in Emergency Observation (2007-2022) ·································10

3. Emergency Observation Operations in 2022 ································ 12
3.1.

Emergency Observation Requests ·····························································123.2.

Results of Emergency Observation ····························································15

3.3.

Good Practices ·····················································································19

3.3.1. Volcanic Eruption in Tonga (ADRC/SPC, January 2022) ·······························19
3.3.2. Earthquake in Afghanistan (ICIMOD, June 2022) ········································21
3.3.3. Flood in Pakistan (PDMA, August 2022) ···················································23
3.3.4. Manaslu avalanche in Nepal (DHM, October 2022) ·····································25

4. External Relations ···································································· 27
4.1.

Accession of New Members ·····································································27

4.2.

Collaboration and Cooperation··································································27

4.2.1. International Disaster Charter ·································································27

5. Conferences and Releases ························································ 28
5.1.

Conferences·························································································28

5.1.1. Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR)·····28
5.1.2. 21st Steering Committee Meeting of Sentinel Asia ·······································29
5.1.3. 28th Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) ··························31
5.2.

Documents, Press Releases and Papers·····················································33

5.2.1Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for making EORs in Cambodia, Lao PDR,
Pacific Island countries, and Central Asia and Caucasus ·······························33

6. Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operations ····································· 35
6.1.

Analysis of Operational Performance··························································35

7. Conclusions ············································································ 40

Appendix-

Newsletter (2022)-

List of JPT Members-

Emergency Observation Requests (2007 - 2022)-

JPT member report “Sentinel Asia Activity in 2022”-

Feedback information from PDMA, Pakistan (June 2022)

Chapter 1: Introduction

1. Introduction
1.1. Purpose and Scope of this Document
This document describes the activities of Sentinel Asia (SA) in 2022 for member
organizations and external relations.

1.2. Structure of this Document
This report follows the following structure:

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters: overview and target disaster events
related to Sentinel Asia.
Chapter 3 Emergency Observation Operations in 2022: results of emergency
observation activities in 2022.
Chapter 4 External Relations: explanation of the integration of new members,
progress, external relationships and Cooperating Bodies.
Chapter 5 Conference and Releases: reports on all communication activities
undertaken throughout the reporting period.
Chapter 6 Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operations: assessment of the overall impact of
Sentinel Asia as a service in supporting disaster response, and of system performance,
products and services.
Chapter 7 Conclusions: outline of significant achievements and conclusions throughout
the reporting period.

1Chapter 1: Introduction

1.3. List of Acronyms
ADPC

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

ADRC

Asian Disaster Reduction Center

AFAD

Turkey Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency

AHA Centre

ASEAN

Coordinating

Centrefor

Humanitarian

Assistancemanagement
AIT

Asian Institute of Technology

ALOS

Advanced Land Observing Satellite

APRSAF

Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum

ASEAN

Association of South-East Asian Nations

BRIN

Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional

CRISP

Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing

DAN

Data Analysis NodeDHM

Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Nepal

DPN

Data Provider Node

DRR

Disaster Risk Reduction

EOR

Emergency Observation Request

EOS

Earth Observatory of Singapore

GISTDA

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency

ICIMODInternational Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

ICT

Information and Communication Technology

IDC

International Disaster Charter

IFRC

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

ISRO

Indian Space Research Organisation

IWMI

International Water Management Institute

JAXA

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

JPTM

Joint Project Team Meeting

MBRSC

Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre

MEXT

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

NARL

National Applied Research Laboratories

NDRRMC

National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council

PDMA

Provincial Disaster Management Authority in Pakistan

PhilSA

Philippine Space Agency

RSO

Regional Support OfficeSA

Sentinel Asia

2

ondisasterChapter 1: Introduction

SAWG

Space Applications for Societal Benefit Working Group

SPC/SOPAC

Secretariat of the Pacific Community

UNDRR

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

UNITAR

United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNOOSA

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

VAP

Value Added Product

VAST

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology

WINDS

Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite

YU

Yamaguchi University

3Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

2.

Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

2.1. Outline of Sentinel Asia

2.1.1. Background and History of Sentinel Asia
Natural hazards have been on the rise worldwide, including the Asia-Pacific region(Figure 1). The Asia-Pacific region suffers from different types of natural hazards, suchas earthquakes, cyclones/typhoons, floods, landslides, droughts, tsunamis, volcanic
eruptions and forest fires. Several of them are large-scale, devastating disasters. Given
the high population level (about 3 billion) as well as the high frequency and severity ofnatural hazards in the region, an integrated use of space technology, such as earth
observation satellite data and geographic information systems, can be an effective means
to reduce the magnitude of the severity, or provide timely management in the event of alarge-scale natural hazard or disaster. In light of the increasing frequency of natural
hazards and an elevated loss of lives and properties from these events, SA, acollaborative, regional project, was conceptualized in 2005, and began EOR activity in2007. It is engaged in activities to share and provide disaster-related information,
including earth observation satellite images via the internet, in order to contributetoward disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region. Space agencies from the AsiaPacific Region Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) community, including the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and disaster risk reduction agencies in the AsiaPacific region, such as the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), cooperate informing a Joint Project Team (JPT) and promoting SA. As of December 2022, it consistsof 112-member organizations, including 95 agencies from 29 countries/regions, and 17
international organizations. JAXA has been serving as a secretariat of the JPT.

4

Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

Figure 1: Incidence of Natural Hazards by Region (in and after 1990)

A stepwise approach for the implementation of data and information dissemination
systems through SA as proposed by the APRSAF was as follows:

Step 1: Implementation of the backbone ‘Sentinel Asia’ data dissemination system andassociated Nodes (Feb. 2006–Dec. 2007)
Step 2: Expansion of the dissemination backbone with new Satellite Communication
Systems (2008–2012)
Step 3: Establishment of a comprehensive ‘Disaster Management Support System’ in theregion (2013 onwards)

Sentinel Asia initiated an emergency observation request system in 2007 to provide
image data (and analysed images) acquired through the satellites operated byparticipating space agencies on the internet and via JAXA’s Wideband InterNetworking
engineering test and Demonstration Satellite (WINDS), also known as Kizuna, in theevent of a disaster in the Asia-Pacific region.
5

Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

During that time, Sentinel Asia participated in the International Disaster Charter(IDC) in 2010 to expand its activities and cooperation on a global scale. Sentinel Asia
also established the Regional Support Office (RSO) for the United Nations Platform forSpace-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UNSPIDER) at the ADRC in June 2009, which serves as a contact (liaison) office for
emergency observation requests, to expand the range of its activities and increaseinternational interest.

2.1.2. Aims and Activities of Sentinel Asia in a Nutshell
The SA aims to: (i) improve safety in society with the use of modern Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) and space-based technology; (ii) improve the speed andaccuracy of disaster preparedness and early warning; and (iii) minimize the number ofvictims, as well as social and economic losses. To achieve these goals, various activities
have been undertaken.

The main activities of the SA are summarized as follows:・

Emergency observation by earth observation satellites (e.g. ALOS-2, FORMOSAT-5,
RESOURCESAT-2, OCEANSAT-2/OCM, CARTOSAT-3, Thaichote, VNREDSat-1A,
TeLEOS-1, and KhalifaSat) in the event of major disasters

・

Acceptance of observation requests for major disasters in the Asia-Pacific region
from ADRC member organizations and the representative organizations of JPT
members to support disaster management in the region

・Working Groups (WGs) for early warning and disaster monitoring: WGs on wildfires,floods, glacial lake outburst floods, and tsunamis are (formed and) in operation

・Capacity building of member organizations (e.g., through training) for the utilizationof satellite images for disaster management

The following is an overview of the main data and products provided by SA to its
members: (i) satellite imagery (and data permitted by data providers) and value-added
images with an extraction of the affected area, etc.; (ii) on-site digital camera images;(iii) wildfire hotspot information and data; (iv) rainfall (short-term and long-term)

6Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

information and data; and (v) meteorological satellite imagery and data.

2.1.3. Framework and Emergency Observation Mechanisms of Sentinel Asia
SA is promoted under cooperation among the following three communities: (i) the Space
Community (APRSAF); (ii) the International Community (e.g., UNESCAP, UNOOSA,ASEAN, AIT); and (iii) the Disaster Reduction Community (ADRC and its member
countries), as illustrated in Figure 2. The JPT was established to promote the activities
of SA, and it is open to all APRSAF member countries, disaster prevention organizations
and regional/international organizations who wish to participate in disaster information
sharing activities.

Figure 2: Framework of Sentinel Asia

SA is composed of two Nodes (Data Provider, and Data Analysis) and four Working
Groups (Wildfire, Flood, Water related disaster and Tsunami). The Data Provider Node
(DPN) provides their own satellite imagery and other relevant data to JPT members
upon an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) from a JPT member, to the extent
permitted by the data policy of each DPN when a disaster occurs; while the Data Analysis
7

Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

Node (DAN) analyses the satellite data provided by DPN, makes a value-added productand uploads and shares the result through the new Sentinel Asia EOR system“OPTEMIS”, which started operation in 2019 (Figure 3). Between 2007 and 2022, 451
EORs have been made or accepted, providing data and products to its members to
support disaster management. The four WGs work toward the establishment andimprovement of early warning/forecasting systems, as well as monitoring and planningfor disaster management in their respective fields.

Figure 3: Flow of Sentinel Asia emergency observation

2.1.4. Current Phase (Step 3) and Ongoing Actions of Sentinel Asia
Out of the 3 Steps employed by Sentinel Asia, the successful completion of Steps 1 and2 has so far been declared. Step 3 began in 2013, defining its priority areas based on
experiences in the earlier Steps and user requests leading to necessary actions as shownin Figure 4.
The key features of Step 3 are:8

Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

・

Covering all phases in a disaster management cycle

・

Employing a wide variety of satellites, including earth observation satellites,
communication satellites and navigation satellites

・

Being managed as a joint project by participating agencies, through the planned
construction of a joint management system

・Promoting the use of services by expanding human networks through capacity
development and outreach activities

Figure 4: Current Phase (Step 3) and Actions of Sentinel Asia

9

Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

2.2.

Major Disasters with Emergency Observation (2007-2022)

Table 1 shows the number of requests, activations, and rejections for each type ofdisaster. Requests related to floods, earthquakes, landslides, typhoons, volcanoes andcyclones are activated for more than 80% of all requests. However, the activation ratio
regarding forest fires is less than 50%. There is no rejection in the past 3 years (20202022) due to providing accurate information from requesters and keeping an appropriate
communication.

Table 1: Number of Requests, Activations, and Rejections for Emergency
Observations by Disaster (2007 - 2022)

Figures 5 and 6 show a breakdown of emergency observations with requests andemergency observations with activation by disaster. Floods represent the largest numberof disasters with 230 requests (51.0%), followed by earthquakes at 59 (13.1%), typhoons
at 36 (8.0%), landslides at 29 (6.4%), volcanic eruptions at 25 (5.5%), cyclones at 22 (4.9%),
forest fires at 18 (4.0%) and oil spill at 7 (1.6%). Generally, activation is made for around
89.6% of requests for most disasters.

10Chapter 2: Sentinel Asia and Major Disasters

Figure 5: Breakdown of Emergency Observations by Disaster (2007 - 2022)*Requests (N=451)

Figure 6: Breakdown of Emergency Observations by Disaster (2007 - 2022)*Activations (N=404)

11

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

3. Emergency Observation Operations in 2022

3.1.

Emergency Observation Requests

Figure 7 shows the number of requests, activations and rejections involving emergency
observations from 2007 to 2022. The number of requests and activations peaked in 2010
and 2012, with the number declining subsequently thereafter, but the number increased
once again from 2015 to 2016. The number has begun decreasing gradually once moresince 2016. And 28 requests were submitted and activated in 2022.

50

43
40
40
36
34

35

32
31

31

3434
31
30

30

28
25

24

25
24

28 28

2828

25

RequestActivation

20
20
15

18
16

19

18

10

8
6

5
2

20
18

Rejection

19
18

9
6
2

1

1

2

3
1

1

0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Figure 7: Comparison of the Number of Requests, Activations and Rejections for
Emergency Observations

Figures 8 and 9 show a breakdown of emergency observations with requests andemergency observations with activation by disaster. On a request basis, floods
represented the largest number of disasters, with 18 requests (64.3%), followed byearthquakes at 5 (17.9%), and volcanic eruptions at 3 (10.7%).

12

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Table 2: List of 2022 Activations
Activation
NumberCountry

Disaster Type

Implementation

Requester

424

Tonga

Volcanic Eruption

2022/1/16

ADRC, SPC

425

ThailandOil spill2022/2/11

GISTDA

426

ThailandFlood2022/3/3

GISTDA

427

Philippines

Flood2022/4/12

MO

428

India

Flood

2022/5/20

ISRO, DMS

429

Indonesia

Flood2022/5/27

ITB, CoREM

430

Philippines

Volcanic Eruption

2022/6/13

PHIVOLCS

431

India

Flood

2022/6/21

ISRO, DMS

432

Bangladesh

Flood2022/6/23

ADRC, Bangladesh Water Development
Board (BWDB)

433

Afghanistan

Eartquake

2022/6/27

ICIMOD

434

VietnamFlood2022/7/7

MONRE

435

India

Flood

2022/7/13

ISRO, DMS

436

India

Flood

2022/7/13

ISRO, DMS

437

Philippines

Eartquake

2022/7/27

PHIVOLCS

438

PakistanFlood2022/8/18

ADRC, PDMA in Sindh and Balochistan

439

Philippines

Flood2022/8/23

MO

440

India

Flood

2022/8/24

ISRO, DMS

441

China

Eartquake

2022/9/6

CEA

442

Taiwan

Eartquake

2022/9/19

NARL/NCDR

443

Philippines

Flood2022/9/25

AHA Center

444

VietnamFlood2022/9/26

MONRE

445

Nepal

Landslide2022/10/9

DHM

446

India

Flood

2022/10/15

ISRO, DMS

447

ThailandFlood2022/10/19

GISTDA

448

Philippines

Flood2022/10/29

MO

449

Indonesia

Eartquake

2022/11/22

BRIN

450

Indonesia

Volcanic Eruption

2022/12/5

JICA, PUPR

451

Philippines

Flood2022/12/28

MO

13Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Oil Spill, 1Landslide, 1

Earthquake (orTsunami), 5
Flood, 18

Volcano, 3

Figure 8: Breakdown of Emergency Observations by Disaster in 2022
*Requests (N=28)

Landslide, 1

Oil Spill, 1Earthquake (orTsunami), 5

Flood, 18
Volcano, 3

Figure 9: Breakdown of Emergency Observations by Disaster in 2022
*Activations (N=28)

14

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

3.2.

Results of Emergency Observations

During 2022, the monthly average of activations was 2.3. Figure 10 shows the monthly
distribution of activations throughout 2022. The highest number of activations occurredin June to October, corresponding to 67.9% of the total number.

4

3

4

2

4

4

4

3
2

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

0

Figure 10: Number of Monthly Activations in 2022

Figure 11 shows the number of emergency observations by country. Countries andregions with a large number of requests are mostly located in Southeast Asia and SouthAsia, including the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The country
with the highest number of activations was the Philippines, with 7 activations.

15

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

8

7
6

6
4

3

3

2

2
1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Figure 11: Number of Activations by Country in 2022

Figure 12 shows the number of implementations for providing Archive data and New
Acquisition by DPN. In total, 37 implementations for providing Archive data and 85
implementations for providing New Acquisition were made in 2022.

30

28 28

25

20

20

18
15

15
10

8

5

3
1

1

0
JAXA

ISRO

NARL
Archive

GISTDACRISP

New Acquisition

Figure 12: Number of Responses by DPN in 2022
16

MBRSC

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

DPN has been providing a lot of satellite images, including optical and radar data, whenan EOR is activated. DAN have also been supportive by providing Value Added Products(VAP), including KMZ files and shapefiles for GIS. This data is uploaded to OPTEMIS
and the SA website (https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/EmergencyObservation.html). Figure
13 shows the quantity of optical and radar data by DPN which was uploaded to the SA
website.

200

196

183
165

150
119
100

50

32

27
9

6

CRISP

MBRSC

0
JAXA

ISRO

NARL

GISTDA

Archive

New Acquisition

Figure 13: Data Consumption (Archive and New Acquisition) by DPN in 2022

17

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Figure 14 shows the number of implementations by DAN in 2022. Figure 15 shows thenumber of provided VAP in 2022. In total, 62 were implemented, and 360 VAPs were
provided to requesters.
25

21
20

18

16

15
10
5

3

3

ISRO

NARL

1

0

MBRSC

AIT

EOS

YU

Figure 14: Number of responses by DAN in 2022

180
160

153
130

140
120
100
80

53

60
40
20

15

10

8

1

ISRO

JAXA

NARL

YU

0

MBRSC

EOS

AIT

Figure 15: Number of VAP by DAN in 2022

18

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

3.3. Good Practices

3.3.1. Volcanic Eruption in Tonga (January 2022)[EOR Requestor] Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) and Secretariat of the PacificCommunity (SPC/SOPAC)[SA website URL] https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220115TO.html

The Kingdom of Tonga is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of some
170 islands. Also, Tonga is located in the ring of fire which is an earthquake-prone areaand has experienced tsunami disasters in the past. In addition, Tonga has a cyclone
season from November to April every year, and large cyclones caused a lot of wind andflood damage, including in coastal areas.
The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano was erupted on 15 January 2022. Thiseruption was the largest recorded since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. The eruption
triggered tsunami waves of up to 15m which struck the west coast of Tongatapu, ‘Euaand Ha’apai. Ashfall covered an area of at least five square kilometres. Damage to theinternational and domestic undersea telecommunications meant little information wasavailable from Tonga following the eruption. On 18 January, the Prime Minister of Tonga
declared a state of emergency effective from 16 January.
On 16 January, ADRC decided to register EOR information into the OPTEMIS systemon behalf of SPC, and activated. The first satellite images from the DPN were provided
on 17 January. Finally, 98 satellite images were provided by ISRO, GISTDA, JAXA, andNARL, and the first VAP from the DAN was provided on 18 January. Eight VAPs were
provided by EOS, and 14 VAPs were provided by MBRSC. Also, JAXA provided a WEBGIS service that allows users to compare satellite images before and after the disaster.
SPC/SOPAC used the provided data to confirm areas affected and therefore conduct thefield assessment. A number of communities were displaced and relocated to areas on
Tongatapu and Eua. The Government of Tonga undertook the field assessment as at thetime there were still COVID related travel restrictions in place. SPC/SOPAC provided
technical advice to guide the field assessment and once done, reduced the data to provide
a consolidated assessment report.
(source: https://reliefweb.int/disaster/vo-2022-000005-ton)
19

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Figure 16: VAP (provided by EOS)

20

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

3.3.2. Earthquake in Afghanistan (June 2022)[EOR Requestor] International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development[SA website URL] https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220622AF.html

Afghanistan is highly prone to intense and recurring hazards such as flooding,earthquakes, snow avalanches, landslides and droughts due to its geographical locationand years of environmental degradation. Also, Afghanistan faces significant impacts ofclimate change and hazards which impact growth prospects. Since 1980, disasters
caused by hazards have affected 9 million people and caused over 20,000 fatalities in thiscountry.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 occurred in eastern Afghanistan, near the border withnorth-western Pakistan, on 18 July. The depth of this earthquake was 10 km and theepicentre was located in the Spera district. As of 20 July, 44 injured people and around
600 destroyed houses across the Spera district and the neighbouring Giya district. On
21 June 2022, the same area has been affected by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that
resulted in more than 1,000 fatalities.
The ADRC received the EOR from ICIMOD and transferred DPNs/DANs on 27 June
2022. The first satellite images from the DPN were provided on 28 June. Finally, 26
satellite images were provided by ISRO, JAXA, and NARL. And the first VAP from the
DAN was provided on 28 June. Thirty-eight VAPs were provided by AIT, EOS, andMBRSC. Also, JAXA provided a WEB-GIS service that allows users to compare satellite
images before and after the disaster.
ICIMOD used and provided the data to disaster management agencies and internationalorganizations. And these data were utilized for rescue activities for the affected people
in Afghanistan.
(source: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/afghanistan-disaster-riskmanagement-and-resilience-program)(source: https://reliefweb.int/disaster/eq-2022-000232-afg)

21

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Figure 17: VAP (provided by AIT)

22

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

3.3.3. Flood in Pakistan (August 2022)[EOR Requestor] Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) and Provincial Disaster
Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan[SA website URL] https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220817PK.html

Pakistan shares borders with India, China, Afghanistan and Iran, which faces the
Arabian Sea. Its land area is 881,913 square kilometres, and features the Himalayas in
the north and the Baluchistan Highlands in the west. The eastern half of the land has
the Indus River. Because of the geographical condition of Pakistan, climate varies greatly
by region. The capital is Islamabad. Among the 243.8 million population, about half are
Punjabi, with the rest being Sindh, Patan and Baluchs. It is densely populated along theIndus River.
Since mid-June 2022, Pakistan has been drenched by extreme monsoon rains that have
led to the country’s worst flooding in a decade. According to Pakistan’s National Disaster
Management Authority, the floods have affected more than 33 million people anddestroyed or damaged more than 1 million houses. At least 1,100 people were killed byfloodwaters that inundated tens of thousands of square kilometres of the country. Acrossthe country, about 150 bridges and 3,500 kilometres (2,200 miles) of roads have been
destroyed. More than 700,000 livestock and 2 million acres of crops and orchards havealso been lost.
The ADRC received the EOR from PDMA in Pakistan and transferred DPNs/DANs on
18 August 2022. The first satellite images from the DPN were provided on 19 August.
Finally, 61 satellite images were provided by ISRO, GISTDA, JAXA, and NARL. And thefirst VAP from the DAN was provided on 22 August. Thirty-seven (37) VAPs were
provided by AIT, EOS, ISRO, MBRSC, and NARL. Also, JAXA provided a WEB-GIS
service that allows users to compare satellite images before and after the disaster.
PDMA as requester of this EOR used provided data for emergency response activity,
sharing with other DRR organizations, and making report for sharing information.
PDMA shared detailed report related to “How was the provided data used?”. This reportis attached as appendix of this report.
(source: https://www.adrc.asia/)23

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Figure 18: VAP (provided by AIT)

Figure 19: VAP (provided by EOS)

24

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

3.3.4. Manaslu avalanche in Nepal (October 2022)[EOR Requestor] Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM)[SA website URL] https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20221002NP.html

Nepal is a landlocked country which borders India to the east, west and south, and China
to the north. Central and north parts are hilly area with the Himalayas ranges, whereas
southern part is covered with the Plain area called ‘TARAI’. The total Land area of Nepal
is 147,181 square kilometres with 26.6 million people, composed of different ethnicities,
races and languages. Nepal has six seasons in total; the famous rainy season is in June
to August and the winter is between December to February. The capital city of Nepal is
Kathmandu, where about 3 million people are living.
The Manaslu avalanche occurred on 26 September 2022. According to government
announcements, at least eight climbers were trapped in the avalanche that occurred on
Mount Manaslu.
The ADRC received the EOR from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM)
on 9 October 2022. The first satellite images were provided on 11 October. Finally, 11satellite images were provided by GISTDA, ISRO, JAXA, and NARL. And the first valueadded product was provided on 13 October. EOS and MBRSC provided 10 VAPs. Also,
JAXA provided a WEB-GIS service that allowed users to compare satellite images before
and after the disaster.
DHM as the requester of this EOR used provided data for emergency response activity,
sharing with other DRR organizations, and making reports for sharing information. And
DHM utilized the data for making internal reports.
(source: https://www.adrc.asia/)

25

Chapter 3: Emergency Observation Operation in 2022

Figure 20: VAP (provided by MBRSC)

26

Chapter 4: External Relations

4. External Relations

4.1. Accession of New Members
In 2022, the following organization joined SA.
-

Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD)

4.2. Collaboration and Cooperation

4.2.1

International Disaster Charter

The rollout to IDC began in February 2010 as required. Ten disasters were escalated
through SA in 2022. This figure means that 5 out of 28 EORs, corresponding to 17.9%,
were referred to IDC via Sentinel Asia.

Table 3 List of Charter Escalations in 2022
Acti va tion
NumberCountry

Disaster TypeActi va tion
Da te

430

Phillipines

Volcanic Eruption

13-Jun-22

443

Phillipines

Flood

25-Sep-22

Requester

ADRC on behalf of PHIVOLCS

Project Ma na ger

PHIVOLCS- UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER on behalf of
PhilSA on behalf of NDRRMC

IWMI- ADRC on behalf of AHA Centre

447

ThailandFlood

19-Oct-22

449

Indonesia

Earthquake

22-Nov-22

450Indonesia

Volcanic Eruption

5-Dec-22

27

ADRC on behalf of GISTDA- ADRC on behalf of BRIN
- UNITAR on behalf of IFRCADRC on behalf of JICAAITUNITAR

AIT

Chapter 5: Communication and Conference5.

Conferences and Press Releases

5.1.

Conferences

5.1.1

Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR)
2022, (19-22 September 2022)

The 2022 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR)
was held in Brisbane, Australia, from 19 – 22 September. This conference was hosted by
the Australian Government and convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNDRR).
APMCDRR 2022 presents an opportunity for delegates from across the Asia Pacific toshowcase and share experiences, action and innovation to help build a resilient future
for the region. The conference also represents a final opportunity ahead of the Mid-Term
Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) in 2023, tofocus on Sendai Framework progress and commitments in the Asia-Pacific Region.
The Sentinel Asia Secretariat ran an exhibition booth to promote Sentinel Asia’s
activities during the APMCDRR 2022. The Sentinel Asia booth welcomed more than 100
participants per day. Staff from the Sentinel Asia Secretariat had explained the current
Sentinel Asia activities to the participants and discussed the best activities of Sentinel
Asia.

28

Chapter 5: Communication and Conference

5.1.2

21st Steering Committee Meeting of Sentinel Asia (10-11 October 2022)

The secretariat of Sentinel Asia holds a Steering Committee (SC) consisting of key
members every year where there are discussions on Sentinel Asia activities and activity
reports from the members. This year, SC was held on 10 and 11 October 2022 at the
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

Targets & Expected Outcomes of this meeting were set as:Review the current status of the Strategic Plan documents and activities by leading
agencies and confirm status.

Improve Sentinel Asia operation from the viewpoint of DPN, DAN and DMO.

Strengthen user interaction within the Sentinel Asia community.

The contents of this meeting were mainly conducted as:(1) Progress reports by each leading agency on the 6 categories, including discussion.
-

Satellite Data Provisions and Systems (Sentinel Asia Technical Team)-

Value Added Product (Yamaguchi Univ.)-

End User Enhancement (GIC/AIT)-

Step-3 Activities (Complete DRR cycle) (ADRC)-

Communication, Collaboration and Cooperation (ADRC)-

Linking Step 3 to Sendai Framework for DRR (IWMI)(2) DMO activity: Interaction with JICA (JAXA)(3) DPN improvement (Theme: Realizing Step 3 of SA for entire disaster cycle by space
agencies (early warning at the pre-disaster phase, observation at the post-disaster
phase, and capacity development)-

GISTDA Activity of Satellite Image Analysis (GISTDA)-NSPO Activity Report and Recommendations (NSPO)-

Methods and Algorithms in Rapid Flood Mapping (ISRO)-

Autonomous Analysis of JAXA (JAXA)-

Satellite data calibration for Optical Satellites by Mirror Array (Yamaguchi
Univ.)(4) DAN improvement (Theme: Sharing their experiences, knowledge and technology

29Chapter 5: Communication and Conferencewith DANs)-

Update of Building Footprint (Univ. of Tokyo)-

CGIAR ClimBeR and South Asia Drought Monitoring System (IWMI)-

PHIVOLCS Role and Experience as DAN Member of Sentinel Asia
(PHIVOLCS)(5) User interaction (Theme: Effective support for Users with VAPs)-

GIC/AIT-

Yamaguchi Univ.

Figure 21: Group Photo

30

Chapter 5: Communication and Conference

5.1.3

28th Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), (15-18 November
2022)

The 28th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) was heldfrom 15 to 18 November 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was co-organized by the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology(VAST). APRSAF was established in 1993 to enhance space activities in the Asia-Pacificregion. Attended by space agencies, governments, and international organizations suchas the United Nations, as well as companies, universities and research institutes, thisforum is the largest space-related conference in the Asia Pacific region. APRSAF has five
Working Groups: the (1) Space Applications for Societal Benefit Working Group (SAWG),(2) Enhancement of Space Capacity Working Group (SCWG), (3) Space Frontier Working
Group (SFWG), (4) Space Education for All Working Group (SE4AWG), and the (5) Space
Policy and Law Working Group (SPLWG). APRSAF participants share information about
their activities and future plans for their countries and regions in each working group.
APRSAF also supports international projects designed to find solutions to common
issues such as disaster management and environmental protection.
Sentinel Asia Session was conducted in the Satellite Applications for Societal Benefit
Working Group (SAWG) on 15 November 2022. The following presentations werereported in this session.

-

Sentinel Asia Report (JAXA)-

Sentinel Asia – Trend of Emergency Observation Request- (ADRC)-

Practical utilization of Value-added products (VAPs) for JICA operations (JICA)-

Rapid disaster response using Synthetic Aperture Radar (EOS)-The DHARMA Project: Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA)’s contribution on the useof Earth Observation (EO) data for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management(DRRM) in the Philippines (PhilSA)-

Space+ & Applications for Disaster Risk Reduction in Action by Space Agency(GISTDA)-

Earth Observation data for climate resilience and strengthening disaster risk

31

Chapter 5: Communication and Conference

management (IWMI)-

Satellite Report for Disaster and Crisis Management (DC Report) using EWS for the
Asia-Pacific region (ADRC)-

Development of Mirror Target Calibration for Multiple Optical Satellite Data
(Yamaguchi Univ.)

32

Chapter 5: Communication and Conference

5.2. Documents, Press Releases and Papers

5.2.1

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for making EORs in Cambodia, Lao PDR,
Pacific Island countries, and Central Asia and Caucasus

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for making Emergency Observation
Requests (EOR) to Sentinel Asia were established in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Pacific Island
countries, and Central Asia and Caucasus in 2022. The establishment of SOPs is theachievement made through online workshops aimed at better use of Sentinel Asia’s EOR
mechanism for the following stakeholders of each country.
- Cambodia: Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare- Lao PDR: Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare- Pacific Island countries: National Disaster Management Office (Fiji), National Disaster
Management Office (Solomon Islands), and Secretariat of the Pacific Community(SPC/SOPAC)- Central Asia and Caucasus: Ministry of Emergency Situations (Kyrgyz Republic),
Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (Tajikistan), Ministry of
Emergency Situations (Uzbekistan), and Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences(CAIAG)The common highlights of each SOP include:(i) the prior definition of organizations primarily responsible for making EORs in case ofnatural disasters(ii) the prior definition of criteria under which the organizations in (i) above will make
EORs on an “in principle” basis(iii) support by international organizations including ADRC to make EORs on behalf ofthe organizations in (i) above, in case EORs are not made promptly or in an opportunity(iv) the easy and real-time provision of local information on the disaster via web-based
mobile application developed by AIT(https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/cf15a88094974b5e885d45afe903ba98)(v) the institutionalized use of Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) for
monitoring (reference information for making EORs)

33

Chapter 5: Communication and Conference(https://sharaku.eorc.jaxa.jp/GSMaP/)In accordance with these SOPs, in case of disasters, stakeholders of each country will beable to make emergency observation requests to Sentinel Asia promptly, and utilize theinformation provided by Sentinel Asia for better response and recovery in an interactive
manner. Likewise, the Sentinel Asia community will be able to provide better and more
effective support than before. This is one of the good examples of Sentinel Asia which ismandated to address the entire disaster management cycle, and it is a significant
contribution to the Sendai Framework Priority 4 as well. This joint achievement has
significantly enhanced the value of Sentinel Asia.

34

Chapter 6: Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operation

6.

Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operations

6.1. Analysis of Operational Performance
Figure 22 summarizes the number of days from the occurrence of a disaster to therequest for each disaster and their respective years. Overall, this shows that it took anumber of days from the first occurrence of the disaster to a request for the period
between 2011 and 2022.

4

2.7

Number of Days

3

2.7
2.4

2.3

2.1

2.0
1.7

2
2.1

1.6

2.6

2.1

1
1.3

0
2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Figure 22: Number of Days Required from Disaster Occurrence to Request

35

Chapter 6: Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operation

Figure 23 shows the number of days that were required from the date the request wasreceived to activation. Overall, it took 0.11 days from request to activation in 2022.

2

Number of Days

1.5
0.9
1.0
0.8

1

0.5
0.4

0.24
0.4

0.25

0.5

0.06
0.11

0
2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Figure 23: Number of Days Required from Request to Activation

36

2022

Chapter 6: Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operation

Figure 24 shows the average number of days required to provide archive satellite data
after activation (shown by the black line), and how often data could be provided relative
to the total number of requests (shown by the blue line).
Figure 24’s Archive Satellite Data indicates that the percentage of provisions improved
from 2016 to 2022. This figure in 2022 was totalling 96.4%. And the average number ofdays improved to 2.7 days from last year’s 4.0.

8.0
89.3

100.0

Percentage

94.4

90.3

80.0

5.3

70.8

6.0

62.1
60.0

76.5

63.3
3.3

5.9

4.0

4.8
40.0

20.0

4.0

61.8 3.9
2.9

2.7

2.7

3.6

2.0

Number of Days

100.0 100.0
80.0

96.4

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Provision rate (provision/total requests)
Average time required for provision (days)

Figure 24: Average Number of Days Required to Provide Archive Satellite Data
and Activation Rate for Each Year

37

Chapter 6: Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operation

Figure 25 shows the average number of days required to provide post-disaster satellite
data after activation (shown by the black line), and how often data could be provided
relative to the total number of requests (shown by the blue line).
Figure 25’s Satellite Data after Disaster shows that the percentage of provisions
increased sharply from 2014 onward, while the number of days required for data
provision has decreased in recent years. The number of average days required forprovision in 2022 was 2.6 days. This is improved in 2021 to 2.9 days. And provision rate
in 2022 reached 100%.

12.0
100

95.8

94.1

84.2
88.9
80

100

80.6

93.1 93.3

Percentage

8.8

100

100
94.1

10.0
8.0

9.0

60

55.6

6.0
3.7

40

20

2.5

4.0

3.3

2.9
2.6

3.4

3.4 3.60

4.0

Number of Days

9.8

2.0
0.0

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Provision rate (provision/total requests)
Average time required for provision (days)

Figure 25: Average Number of Days Required to Provide Satellite Data After
Disaster and Activation Rate for Each Year

38

Chapter 6: Assessment of Sentinel Asia Operation

Figure 26 shows the average number of days required to provide products after
activation (shown by the black line), and the how often data could be provided relative
to the total number of requests (shown by the blue line).
Figure 26’s provision rate for products was 100% in 2022. Many DANs supported theprovision of products for each EOR. The average number of days required for provision
was 5.2 days in 2022.

30.0
76.0

25.9

82.8

18.0
83.3

Percentage

80.0

20.7

60.0

40.0

78.9

100.0

92.9

86.7

20.0

15.7

15.0

58.1
10.0
38.9

20.0

73.5

25.0

73.5

3.5

38.9

4.8

3.4

5.4

Number of Days

100.0

5.2

7.8

5.0
5.5 4.7

0.0

0.0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Provision rate (provision/total requests)
Average time required for provision (days)

Figure 26: Average Number of Days Required to Provide Products and Activation
Rate for Each Year

39

Chapter 7: Conclusions

7. Conclusions

Since the start of 2007, we have accepted 451 EORs and activated 404. In 2022, 28
EORs were requested and all EORs were activated. Also, the impact of COVID-19 still
remained in 2022. However, by taking advantage of remote sensing technology, Sentinel
Asia was able to contribute their support by providing effective data even in times ofdisaster. Another major topic in 2022 is that AFAD as a disaster management
organization in Turkey has become a new member of Sentinel Asia. Turkey is anearthquake-prone country, so it is expected to contribute to the field of DRR throughSentinel Asia activities.+

The following points are conclusive statements based on activities in 2022.
・

In 2022, around 64.3% of the EORs were related to floods.

・The largest number of requests were submitted from the Philippines, with 7 EORs,
followed by India, with 6 EORs, in 2022.

・

In total, 739 satellite images and 360 VAPs were provided by DPN and DAN in 2022.

・

Five (5) out of twenty-eight (28) Sentinel Asia activations were escalated to the IDCs
in 2022.

・

The provided data was utilized for emergency response, field assessment, making
reports, etc (as shown in chapter 3). This feedback information from end-users is
consistent with the concept of Sentinel Asia, covering all of disaster management
phase (as shown in figure 4).

40

** January 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika, Mr. Syams Nashrrullah, and Mr. Chathumal
Madhuranga (GIC-AIT)
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 31 January 2022)(1) Volcanic eruption in Tonga on 15 January, 2022 (GLIDE Number: VO-2022-000005-TON)
The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano, about 30 kilometers southeast of Tonga's
Fonuafo'ou island, erupted on 14 January and again on 15 January. The eruption caused
tsunami in many places around the world and caused severe damage to the islands of Tonga.
(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/21/world-rushes-aid-to-tsunami-hit-tonga-asdrinking-water-food-runs-short)
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 16 January.
Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology
Development Agency (GISTDA), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Applied Research Laboratories(NARL) provided data. Among DANs, the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), and theMohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) provided their VAPs. Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220115TO.html

Satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2A) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (Formosat-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by MBRSC- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika, Mr. Syams Nashrrullah, and Mr. Chathumal
Madhuranga (GIC-AIT)The Geoinformatics Center of the Asian Institute of Technology (GIC-AIT) is one of the founding
members of Sentinel Asia and has worked as one of the leading Data Analysis Node (DAN)
members. It has been providing Value-Added Products (VAPs) in response to Sentinel Asia’s
Emergency Observation Requests (EORs). It also provides valuable inputs to Sentinel Asia in
addition to working as Project Manager (PM) when an EOR is escalated to the Disasters
Charter. The Sentinel Asia secretariat interviewed GIC-AIT regarding their past and futurecontributions to Sentinel Asia.

Left to Right: Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika, Director, Geoinformatics Center, Mr. Syams
Nashrrullah, Program Officer/Team Leader, and Mr. Chathumal Madhuranga, Research
AssociateSentinel Asia Secretariat:
GIC-AIT is one of the founding members of Sentinel Asia and continues to contribute todisaster monitoring in the Asia-Pacific region. As an academic institution, could you explain
the motivation behind your contribution to Sentinel Asia?
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:First of all, GIC-AIT has been partnering with JAXA since 1997 to build capacity on
applications of satellite data in Asia and the Pacific region. Prior to the launch of Sentinel Asia
in 2006, GIC-AIT had a good network of organizations and professionals in the region.
Accordingly, GIC-AIT was in an advantageous position to introduce these organizations andprofessionals to Sentinel Asia from the region.
Disaster Management being one of the major portfolios of GIC-AIT, naturally, GIC-AIT was
excited when Sentinel Asia was established, and since then, it has been contributing
continuously to the disaster response activities in the region.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
The Sentinel Asia Secretariat very much appreciates your contribution, including responding todisasters as a Principal Data Analysis Node (P-DAN) and PM when EORs are escalated to theDisasters Charter, negotiating the related institutions, and producing Value-Added Products(VAPs). Could you list some cases that left a strong impression and/or made a significant
contribution to the disaster-affected countries/regions?
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:
GIC-AIT has been contributing to the response to about 20 disasters per year through Sentinel
Asia and the International Disaster Charter for more than a decade. One of its greatest
contributions was the response to the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi in Indonesia in
2018. This was a rare opportunity for GIC-AIT to send a team to the ground within a week ofthe disaster to conduct ground verifications. We visited hundreds of locations and took morethan 400 photographs in collaboration with Indonesian agencies and institutes. The developed
VAPs were extensively used by the local administration, government agencies, and evendonors to assess the extent of the damage. We still have a dedicated website where all theseproducts can be accessed.
In another case, GIC-AIT contributed immensely to the response to the flood disaster in Sri
Lanka in 2017, which affected nearly half of the country, including Colombo, by combining
information regarding the extent of flooding derived from the satellite data with crowdsourced
data from the ground through a mobile application and compiling them into a Web-basedGeographic Information System (WebGIS) platform for wider dissemination. It was very
successful.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
Did you have any direct communication with the local governments in the countries?
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:
Yes. GIC-AIT is in an advantageous position than other organizations in the region because wework very closely with national agencies from the south and south-east Asian countries.
Whenever they need help, we are always there to assist to develop value-added products. We
have direct communication as well as a good working relationship with them. Providing data
or value-added products is not sufficient, and it is essential to get ground information forvalidating the products. That is important, and this can be accomplished only by working withnational agencies.
Mr. Syams Nashrrullah:
Just to add to the earthquake case in Sulawesi, the value-added products developed by AIT andother international agencies were used for emergency response by the local government
agencies, but thereafter, some of these products are being used for reconstruction monitoring.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
You have produced many VAPs that clearly show the damage situation. Could you tell us
about some key points that have been devised or emphasized in producing VAPs and analyzingdata?
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:
One of the essential aspects of producing useful VAPs is to combine information on thedisaster-affected areas derived from the satellite data with the building and infrastructure data
layers available in open source. This improves the usability of the VAPs.
We have also developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for efficiently processing
optical and SAR data, and some of them are specific to particular hazards. This has improved
our response time as well as the quality of VAPs. GIC-AIT can now produce the first productwithin 24 hours of acquiring data by a satellite.
Mr. Chathumal Madhuranga:
One of our key ideas is to identify the extent of a disaster. We mainly focus on data available
through the Sentinel Asia community, but sometimes we have difficulties in producing goodquality VAPs using a limited number of datasets. As Dr. Manzul mentioned above, we use
open-source data such as Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images to dynamically identify a disaster'sextent through time series analysis.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
GIC-AIT has developed a mobile application called “Disaster Survey” to monitor and collectinformation on disaster extent and damage. This application has been incorporated into SOPs
that were established with Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam last year. Could you explain its
efficiency and value?
(*Note from the Secretariat: SOPs mentioned here are for making EORs from certain parts ofaffected countries and regions, which are different from SOPs for making VAPs from the partof AIT as mentioned in the previous question.)
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:
The simplicity of this mobile app is one of the advantages, and it is easily accessible for wider
use. The mobile app was successfully used during the recent floods in Thailand, and it will bepromoted for wider use among the Sentinel Asia member countries. The collection of real-timeground data through the mobile app provides the necessary information for validation ofsatellite data-derived disaster extent and damage.
Mr. Chathumal Madhuranga:
The mobile app can be accessed through a web link, and no downloading is required.
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:
As I mentioned earlier, ground data are very important for the validation of VAPs. With themobile app, we can secure in-situ data without going to the field by ourselves.
Mr. Chathumal Madhuranga:
The mobile app is very simple and easy to use. We are now trying our best to introduce the app
to the Sentinel Asia community through online training opportunities, and the feedback fromthe participants is quite encouraging. We hope we can acquire more ground information during
disasters so that we can make it more accurate and reliable VAPs.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
What difficulties have you faced in introducing the app to users?
Mr. Chathumal Madhuranga:
To get actual ground information, people have to go to disaster-affected areas. In the case of a
recent flood in Thailand, we conducted field testing of the mobile app, and it worked well. We
expect that in the future, the general public will take advantage of the mobile app and provide
us the ground information.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
What do you envision for Sentinel Asia to further contribute to disaster management activities
in the Asia-Pacific region, and what advice or recommendations regarding such activities doyou have based on past experiences and lessons learned?
Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika:
In order to build confidence among the users in the quality and reliability of the VAPs, it isimportant to promote the mobile app for ground data collection, and wherever possible,
ground-truth collection missions should be conducted in the case of major disasters. As for thismobile app, we are currently promoting it among the Sentinel Asia member organizations only.
However, in the future, we would like to see that it is used by the public. This will facilitate
capturing much more information from the ground to further improve the quality of the valueadded products.
Participation of local agencies also should be encouraged in data processing, using the mobile
app, and conducting field campaigns for ground-truth collection. Everybody is busy when adisaster strikes, and the national disaster management agencies get too busy to process remotesensing data to develop VAPs. In order to address this issue, organizations and institutions
other than disaster management agencies should be encouraged to develop VAPs.
Further, in order to improve the accessibility and data processing time, cloud-based dataprocessing and machine learning should be explored.

- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.

EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540

- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** February 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
3. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 24 February 2022)(1) Oil spill in Thailand
On 25 January, crude oil leaked from the pipeline into the Gulf of Thailand off Rayong
Province, Thailand. Then, during the repair work, second leak occurred on 10 February.
(https://www.thaipbsworld.com/oil-unintentionally-left-in-pipeline-off-rayong-blamed-forthursdays-new-spill/)
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) made an Emergency
Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 11 February. Among Data Provider Nodes(DPNs), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA) provided data. In addition, the National Applied Research Laboratories(NARL) planned to provide its data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Mohammed Bin
Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available on the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220210TH.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by MBRSC- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.

EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2021 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** March 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Mr. Sadhu Zukhruf Janottama, Mr. Keith Paolo Landicho, and Mr. Mohammad Fadli(AHA Centre)
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters(1) Flood in Thailand on 24 February, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000180-THA)
Heavy rain over Malay Peninsula in late February brought flooding in southern Thailand.
According to ReliefWeb, 12,129 households were affected. The Thaiger reported that a bridgein Narathiwat Province collapsed and six people were killed.
(https://reliefweb.int/report/thailand/thailand-flooding-southern-region-25-feb-2022,
https://thethaiger.com/news/national/southern-thailand-flooding-causes-bridge-collapse-6people-reported-dead)Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) made an Emergency
Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 3 March. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs),
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Applied ResearchLaboratories (NARL) provided data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Mohammed
Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), and the Asian
Institute of Technology (AIT) provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220224TH.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by MBRSC

Value-Added Product by AIT- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Mr. Sadhu Zukhruf Janottama, Mr. Keith Paolo Landicho, and Mr. Mohammad Fadli(AHA Centre)
The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA
Centre) is one of the key players in the Sentinel Asia community. Since its establishment in 2011,
the AHA Centre has been engaged in monitoring, preparedness, and response related to disasters
in the ASEAN Region. While the AHA Centre has been supporting Sentinel Asia with its
extensive network and distinguished expertise as an international organization, recently, its
support for and partnership with Sentinel Asia has been strengthened further.

The Sentinel Asia secretariat interviewed AHA Centre staff members to introduce their activities
reflecting the centre’s dedicated support for the ASEAN region through its partnership with
Sentinel Asia.

Left to Right: Mr. Sadhu Zukhruf Janottama, Disaster Monitoring and Analysis Officer, AHA
Centre; Mr. Keith Paolo Landicho, Disaster Monitoring and Analysis Officer, AHA Centre; Mr.
Mohammad Fadli, Pacific Disaster Center, AHA Centre Liaison
Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
The AHA Centre lists (1) Disaster Monitoring, (2) Preparedness and Response, and(3) Capacity Building as its activities. Including these points, could you explain your roleand mission in ASEAN?
Mr. Janottama:
One of the core strategies and pillars that translate the spirit of One ASEAN, One Response
into concrete actions is to perform Risk Identification, Early Warning, and Monitoring.
Through these activities, the AHA Centre aims to reduce loss of life and damage to property
from disasters caused by natural hazards through the identification of risks prior to impacts
and by increasing warning time.
The AHA Centre works closely with the national disaster management organizations(NDMOs) of all ten ASEAN member states in monitoring and sharing information about
hazards and disasters in the region. The AHA Centre also conducts hazard and disastermonitoring from various verified sources such as hydrometeorological and geologicalagencies of the ten ASEAN Member States. Information management and dissemination,
including information from Sentinel Asia, may help strengthen the coordination efforts ofassisting parties when responding to potential as well as actual disasters. The AHA Centre
believes that accurate information, shared in a timely manner, might help save lives during
critical times.
The AHA Centre, particularly the Disaster Monitoring and Analysis unit, use two primary
tools/platforms to perform 24/7 monitoring of hazards and disasters in the ASEAN region,
namely the ASEAN Disaster Monitoring and Response System (DMRS) and the ASEAN

Disaster Information Network (ADINet). The DMRS is a tool that shows real-time
information of the hazards in the region as they happen, as well as hydrometeorological data,such as wind direction and speed, clouds, sea temperature, etc. The maps can be overlaid
with additional information such as population density data, location of criticalinfrastructures, and other spatial data that can aid decision-making during emergency
response operations. The ADINet is a repository of information concerning hazards anddisasters that have happened in the region. The platform is open to the public. The AHA
Centre verifies and validates any submitted information to ensure the accuracy of the data.
ADINet has been recording disaster information in the region since 2012.
Mr. Fadli:
DMRS is a derivative product from “DisasterAWARE”, which is operated to monitor not
only regionally but also globally and consists of multiple layers that include all the required
information for disaster monitoring.
Mr. Janottama:
Added to the second item of the first question, as a part of its preparedness and response
efforts, the AHA Centre develops various tools and guidance to accelerate the mobilizationof resources between ASEAN member states and its partners in times of disaster.
For the third item of the first question, about capacity building, the AHA Centre supports thenational disaster management authorities across ASEAN member states through capacity
building to build a disaster-resilient region. There are two signature courses in the ASEAN
region. One is the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT),
and the other is the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme that is designed to prepare
future leaders of disaster management in ASEAN.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
How do the DMRS and Sentinel Asia contribute to each other?
Mr. Fadli:
We process some of the information gathered from the main system, “DisasterAWARE”.
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) collects and includes information from various sourcesfrom other organizations such as Sentinel Asia, the UN, etc. where they publish reports. For
any disasters or hazards that happen globally, our team is standing by to make inputs to thesystem so that we can distribute information to the public soon, and then local governments
and organizations can refer to and use the data for disaster responses.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
The Sentinel Asia Secretariat deeply appreciates your contribution to past Emergency
Observation Requests (EORs) that you supported. Could you tell us about the AHA Centre’srole in case of EORs and list some EORs important to you or where Sentinel Asia could
significantly contribute?
Mr. Janottama:First of all, speaking of EORs, the AHA Centre is working as the coordination centre amongten ASEAN member states. Concerning EORs to Sentinel Asia, the AHA Centre not only
works as a requester, but also supports other users from the ten ASEAN member states for
EORs to Sentinel Asia. The AHA Centre, in close coordination with national disastermanagement organisations (NDMO), also checks and monitors the EORs to Sentinel Asia
from the other departments or ministries in the ten ASEAN member states to avoid
duplication of the EORs.
I would cite the following EORs as particularly important ones to the AHA Centre in recent
times. What is significant in these EORs, in my view, is that these EORs are made by the
AHA Centre itself and the products and information provided by Sentinel Asia were used in
AHA Centre internal meetings/analyses, as well as shared with the 10 ASEAN member
states.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Flooding in Myanmar, 27 July 2021
Typhoon GONI in the Philippines, 1 November 2020
Flooding in Cambodia, 17 October 2020
Flood in Aceh, Indonesia, 8 May 2020
Flood in Jakarta, Banten, and West Java Province, Indonesia, 1 January 2020

Mr. Landicho:
Among the five EORs that Mr. Janottama mentioned, personally, I would cite the case of
Typhoon GONI as the best. Back in November 2020, Typhoon GONI hit the Philippines andI myself made an EOR for the Philippines. This EOR stems from lessons learned during an
earlier EOR made by myself as well less than a month before Typhoon GONI. In October
2020, Tropical Cyclones LINFA and NANGKA combined with the effects of the InterTropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affected Viet Nam and as mentioned, we used data fromthe Data Analysis Nodes (DANs) and Data Provider Nodes (DPNs) of Sentinel Asia in our
information product—Situation update, to aid our emergency response operations back in
October (for Viet Nam) and November (for the Philippines). It was the first time for the
AHA Centre to respond to disasters in the region during a pandemic and it was advantageous
to identify which areas were accessible and which areas were most impacted in such a flood
situation using the data from the Sentinel Asia network. We were able to identify priority
areas which was crucial for the response. That is one of the best practical cases for us.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
The AHA Centre issues “Situation Update” and “Flash Update” for several types ofdisasters. Could you introduce these?
Mr. Janottama:
Situation Update of the AHA Centre is a disaster information product which specificallyprovides information related to a disaster that being responded to by the AHA Centre. You
can see the details at https://ahacentre.org/situation-updates/.
Flash Update is a disaster information product which provides immediate brief information
about an emerging and/or actual significant disaster in the ASEAN region that may be theimpetus of a significant impact and/or potential humanitarian operations which does not yet
require our response at the time. Most first updates come from the ASEAN member states,
and in our experience, data from Sentinel Asia is used for updates. You can see the details at
https://ahacentre.org/flash-updates/

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
Were there any cases where you introduced Sentinel Asia EOR statuses or their VAPs in“Situation Update” or “Flash Update” and which resulted in contact/feedback from outsideor actual support?
Mr. Landicho:
The AHA Centre mostly used the Sentinel Asia EOR products in the Situation Update. Now,
speaking of cases which resulted in actual support, as I mentioned earlier, I would cite thecase of Typhoon GONI in 2020. The super typhoon affected the Philippines and Viet Nam.
In the Situation Update in 2020 for GONI, processed data—detected flooding by the DANsof the Sentinel Asia network—were used in the information products. The series of Situation
Updates were circulated within the AHA Centre’s network, the governing board (GB) of the
AHA Centre - ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management, ASEAN Secretariat and partner
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international non-governmental organizations(INGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), etc. As mentioned in the Situation Update,Sentinel Asia and Earth Observatory Singapore (EOS) ARIA-SG provided several raw andanalysed satellite images that can support the ongoing emergency response. What isparticularly significant is that, since this was one of AHA’s first responses amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic in which situation monitoring and relief and rescue activities from theground were severely challenged, the information provided by Sentinel Asia and its
dissemination via Situation Update warranted a pandemic-adjusted response. To be specific,
we have managed to identify which areas were accessible and which areas were most

impacted in such a flood situation. Thus, we were able to provide relief goods easily andconsider which areas should be more prioritized. I think that is one instance where it's reallyadvantageous to have this partnership with Sentinel Asia.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
In terms of the AHA Centre’s role in raising awareness of Sentinel Asia to the public, we
also appreciate your introduction of Sentinel Asia activities in “ARMOR” issued by the
AHA Centre in March 2019, focusing on the effectiveness and significance of Sentinel
Asia’s space-based disaster support. Could you explain the purpose of this and its
significance for ASEAN disaster management organizations, including the AHA Centre?
Also, could you share with us the outcome of this ARMOR, if any?
Mr. Janottama:
The ASEAN Risk Monitor and Disaster Management Review (ARMOR) in 2019 aimed atconsolidating knowledge related to risk monitoring and disaster management within the
ASEAN region, and seeking to provide a mechanism for the sharing of best practices and thelatest research and analysis. At the same time, the ARMOR was to showcase innovations andinspire disaster managers and researchers across the region and the world, or what we called
bridging science to decision-making. And Sentinel Asia was introduced in Chapter 10 on“Utilization of Space-based Information for Supporting Emergency Response andRecovery”, based on actual emergency response experiences in which space-based
information was utilized alongside direct field observation to inform operational decision
making. This ARMOR underlined the benefit of Sentinel Asia for the ASEAN region andrecommended that all national disaster management organisations (NDMOs) of ASEAN
member states be exposed to the Sentinel Asia platform. In fact, as the primary target of the
ARMOR is the NDMOs of the ten ASEAN member states, they are being effectively
exposed to the works and information of Sentinel Asia. This can be helpful for the ten
ASEAN member states, as well as the AHA Centre to have smooth and good coordination
with Sentinel Asia.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
In recent Sentinel Asia EORs, the AHA Centre is recognized as a key partner in ASEAN,
especially in the “Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Emergency Observation
Requests”, one established in Myanmar last year, and two others in Cambodia and Lao PDR
this year, and you are recognized expressly as a pre-defined active body of EORs. What does
the AHA Centre think about this? How do you expect to make disaster management support
more efficient through these SOPs?

Mr. Landicho:
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Emergency Observation Requests provides us
a clearer role and task to support the national agencies / ASEAN member states. This canallow us to support the ten ASEAN member states especially when they are busy to conduct
Emergency Response Operations. This is also in line with the primary mandate of the AHA
Centre as a coordinating agency to support the ten ASEAN member states. It will also be
advantageous to build on these SOPs for EORs and embed them in the AHA Centre’s
guidelines like the EOR Guidelines or DMA guidelines. Seeing the speed and scale of theSentinel Asia network’s work, we feel positive about building on these relationships
especially for areas in Southeast Asia because there tends to be potential underreporting ofdisasters.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
As a cooperative effort between Sentinel Asia and the AHA Centre, upon invitation from the
AHA Centre, Sentinel Asia participated in “the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme”
organized by the AHA Centre. First, could you tell our readers a little bit about the ACE
Programme?
Mr. Janottama:
The AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme is designed to prepare future leaders of
disaster management in ASEAN. I think the ACE Programme is by far the most intensive
disaster management training programme in the region. Through cooperation with theGovernment of Japan, the ACE Programme aims to enhance the capacity of ASEAN
member states’ disaster managers through the exchange of knowledge and skills amongst
them and with other disaster management experts in the region as well as outside the region.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
In the ACE Programme’s 7th batch last year, a special joint session was organized, led by
Prof. Mizan Bisri from Kobe University, through cooperation among Sentinel Asia’s
volunteer Joint Project Team members based in Japan. Young professionals and future
leaders of disaster management authorities in ASEAN countries learned about theapplication of satellite data for disaster management in this area. Could you tell us thesignificance and outcome of this joint session for the AHA Centre? And if you have any
feedback from the participants or reports on the session results, could you tell us aboutthem?
Mr. Landicho:
From my point of view, the importance of the joint session with Sentinel Asia in the ACE

programme is to have a good foundation of the theoretical knowledge, especially for those
who are still learning, and show the cooperation between Sentinel Asia and the AHA Centre
as a practical example.
Mr. Janottama:
In fact, the DMA Officers of the AHA Centre also joined this session as participants together
with the representatives of the ten ASEAN member states. This session was beneficial for
the AHA Centre and NDMOs to understand the work and role of Sentinel Asia, including
how we can connect our work and projects to Sentinel Asia. This session also provided
useful knowledge and information for the participants, as reflected by the summary of the
feedback from the participants below. Thanks to this Sentinel Asia session, they have also
learned to relate the session materials that are relevant to what they are doing in the office.
More importantly, they feel that the issues raised by the session connect to activities,
projects, programmes, and policies in their country.
I think the significance and outcome of this joint session for the AHA Centre would be our
exposure to Sentinel Asia’s activities and inspiration for future collaboration to raiseawareness. We will need to discuss internally first, but we hope to propose projects for the
future.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
Could you tell us how the AHA Centre will contribute to Sentinel Asia in the future,
considering the above points?
Mr. Fadli:
The ADINet might be useful for DAN to make their data more precise, so I hope Sentinel
members take a look of it. It is available for the public at https://adinet.ahacentre.org/.
Mr. Landicho:
I think the AHA Centre can contribute to Sentinel Asia in the future by continuing to makeemergency observation requests for ASEAN member states as well as providing feedback,and maintaining the partnership between us. The AHA Centre is also at a good vantage pointin coordinating not just response and relief efforts but also monitoring efforts in a regional
scale. Therefore, our partnership with Sentinel Asia not only strengthens regional
preparedness but also the international community of translating the spirit of One ASEAN
One Response into action.

* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** April 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
3. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 27 April)(1) Flood and Landslide in the Philippines on 12 April, 2022 (GLIDE Number TC-2022000197-PHL)
Typhoon Megi (Agaton) made landfall in the Philippines on 11 April. CNN reported that 22
people died because of a landslide on Leyte island and three people were found dead on
Mindanao island.
(https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/11/asia/megi-tropical-storm-philippines-dead-intlhnk/index.html)
Manila Observatory (MO) made an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on
12 April. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), and the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) provided data.
Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), MBRSC, the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS),
and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) provided their VAPs. Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220224TH.html

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2a) provided by ISRO

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by MBRSC

Value-Added Product by AIT

* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tohttps://sentinel-asia.org/ecreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
learning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat

Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** May 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin, Research Professor of the Remote Sensing
Research Center, Research Organization of Aeronautics and Space (ORPA), Indonesia
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 30 May)
(1) Flood in India on 15 May, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000213-IND)
Heavy rain triggered floods in Assam and neighboring states. According to CNN, 10 people
were killed and more than 700,000 were affected by 19 May.
(https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/18/india/assam-india-rain-flooding-intl-hnk/index.html)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made an Emergency Observation Request(EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 20 May. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the National Applied
Research Laboratories (NARL) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) provided
data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), theMohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), and the Earth Observatory of Singapore(EOS) provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available atthe following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220515IN.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AITValue-Added Product by MBRSC

Value-Added Product by EOS(2) Coastal Flood in Indonesia on 23 May, 2022 (GLIDE Number SS-2022-000219-IDN)
A tidal wave hit the northern coast of Central Java, Indonesia, and caused coastal floods on 23
May. According to Antara News, wide areas on the northern coast were affected.
(https://en.antaranews.com/news/231369/panturas-most-areas-affected-by-coastal-floodingtidal-waves-bnpb)
The Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) made an Emergency Observation Request (EOR)
to Sentinel Asia on 27 May. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available atthe following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220523ID.html* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin, Research Professor of the Remote Sensing
Research Center, Research Organization of Aeronautics and Space (ORPA), Indonesia
The Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) is a long-time member of
Sentinel Asia and Indonesia is one of the countries sending Emergency Observation Requests(EORs) to Sentinel Asia most frequently. It underwent a restructuring of governmental agencies
and institutions for research and innovation in 2021. Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin talks about
this as well as the use of space technology for monitoring disasters and climate change in responseto the Sentinel Asia Secretariat.

Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin
Research Professor of the Remote Sensing Research Center
Research Organization of Aeronautics and Space (ORPA),
National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
First, could you tell us about your organization’s recent restructuring? We heard that many research
institutions have been combined under the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
What is your current organization exactly? And what is different from the past LAPAN as anindividual agency? We also would like to know if there is any change in your position with respect
to Sentinel Asia.
Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin
In 2021, Indonesia decided to merge all research institutes in Indonesia, not only LAPAN but also
other research and technology institutes, such as the Ministry of Research and Technology(RISTEK), BPPT (Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology Indonesia), LIPI
(Indonesian Institute of Sciences), and BATAN (National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia),
into one institute, the National Research and Innovation Agency, and we call it BRIN. For example,
even a research institute under the Ministry of Agriculture was integrated into BRIN. It is a reallybig organization. LAPAN itself became one of the research organizations under BRIN and now iscalled the Research Organization of Aeronautics and Space (ORPA). We still work as a space
agency the same as before, but BRIN also created the Secretariat of the Indonesian Space Agency(INASA) to handle international collaboration activities with other space agencies of the world.
They have several other duties, such as public service, relations, and cooperation first, and then theduties are handed over to other centers.
Under this new structure, the INASA will be the focal point for the Asia-Pacific Regional Space
Agency Forum (APRSAF), and INASA will handle administrative matters for Sentinel Asia, but
technically the Remote Sensing Research Center of ORPA will continue to support Sentinel Asia.
For additional information, under BRIN, we have 12 research organizations with 85 research
centers. ORPA itself has five research centers, which are the Space Research Center, the Rocket
Technology Research Center, the Aerospace Research Center, the Satellite Research Center, andthe Remote Sensing Research Center. More than 15,000 people work for BRIN. Now, my position
is a research scientist at the Remote Sensing Research Center who focuses on research activities in
the field of remote sensing, especially on remote sensing methodology development.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
We think ORPA (formerly LAPAN) will contribute to innovation in your country through yourspace activities as an agency under BRIN. Is disaster management using space technology included
part of that scheme? Do you have any concrete policies/plans in this regard? Please tell us about
the role and activities of ORPA on the point of “Space and Disaster Management.”
Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin
The business process is still under discussion regarding the activities because, as I alreadymentioned, we have two organizations under BRIN and have not decided yet which organization
should take care of specific businesses. However, ORPA has some research on how to use remotesensing for disaster management under the Remote Sensing Research Center. The center has threeresearch programs. The first is related to technology and data and they handle data as input for all
remote sensing activities. The second is method development for image processing. The last is
platform development. I am responsible for the second one and we have three groups under the
program. The first one is related to land resources for agriculture, forestry, mining, etc. The second
group is related to disasters and this group will take care of disaster-related issues. The third groupis related to marine and fisheries research.
I am sure that ORPA and INASA will continue to contribute to space innovation activities, including
disaster management using space technology, and under BRIN, the activities will become stronger
because it can involve more of BRIN's resources.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
We appreciate your contribution to Sentinel Asia. The number of EORs from Indonesia is the largest.
We think Sentinel Asia is efficiently used in your country. Could you introduce some EORs andother Sentinel Asia activities that made an impression on you?
Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis KhomarudinFirst of all, I would like to say thank you for your support in providing remote sensing data fordisaster emergency response in Indonesia.
Indonesia has suffered various types of disasters such as volcanic eruptions, storms, and tsunamis.
So, the emergency observations by the Sentinel Asia satellite fleet are very useful for us for disasteremergency response. One example is flooding in Sulawesi in July 2020 (https://sentinelasia.org/EO/2020/article20200716ID.html). Around 5,000 households across six districts wereaffected by this disaster. We sent an EOR to Sentinel Asia and received satellite data from fiveagencies (CRISP, GISTDA, ISRO, JAXA, NARL) and value-added products (VAPs) from two
agencies of Sentinel Asia (AIT and MBRSC). In addition, this EOR was escalated to theInternational Disasters Charter to have more satellite data, and AIT provided a project manager forthis Charter activation. LAPAN itself produced many VAPs, with the data obtained from the Charter
satellites as part of Sentinel Asia’s escalation.
My impression through Sentinel Asia is to collaborate and work with other people in other institutes,
in other words, networking. Sentinel Asia joint project team (JPT) members are given theopportunity to participate in regular meetings such as JPT meetings and capacity-building events
such as training workshops and webinars organized by and for JPT members. Also, Data Analysis
Nodes (DAN) of Sentinel Asia are very important for us because we sometimes find difficulties
processing the data, but Sentinel Asia provide us with support through DANs.
Another important thing for us is the mechanism of “Sentinel Asia Escalation to the Charter.”Through this mechanism, we can escalate activations of Sentinel Asia to the International Disasters

Charter (IDC). If no data from Sentinel Asia is available or additional data other than data from
Sentinel Asia constellation satellite are desirable, then IDC can support us as well. What issignificant and beneficial is that in the case of Sentinel Asia escalation, the Sentinel Asia
community provides its total support, conducting the production of VAPs, in terms of roles andresponsibilities in the context of IDC, which is also a wonderful support from Sentinel Asia.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia’s contributions are recognized as a solution to socioeconomic issues under APRSAF’s
Nagoya Vision. Could you tell us how Sentinel Asia is/will be used as such a solution in Indonesia?
Please also advise us regarding what you expect for Sentinel Asia and how you intend to contributeto it.
Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin
I also think remote sensing in general will be able to support socioeconomic issues; for example,
SDGs, especially SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable
Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). There arestill challenges to apply remote sensing, but we have collaborated with the United Nations Climate
Change conference (COP) to detect slum areas. Disaster management is, too, one of the big
socioeconomic issues and Sentinel Asia can support our disaster management activities withemergency response to disasters and can reduce the impact of the disasters and accelerate therehabilitation process. This is realized in Sentinel Asia Step 3.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Speaking of SDG 13 (Climate Action) that you mentioned, disaster management is a climatechange-related activity. Does Indonesia conduct disaster management activities in this context? If
so, please tell us about your activities and plans.
Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin
Climate change and disaster management is important to study, especially using remote sensing.
Under the second program I mentioned in the previous question, I conduct research on theprediction of Jakarta sinking* by 2030. Remote sensing supports land use/cover change, land
subsidence, coastal change, and deforestation. We use not only climate data but also sea surface
data to predict the future condition. Through modelling, we can estimate Jakarta’s condition in 2030.
I think remote sensing can support such climate applications.
*Note: The surface level of the capital city of Indonesia is subsiding because of the high rate of theuse of groundwater while the sea surface rises with the effects of climate change.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
LAPAN developed several of its own satellites and LAPAN-A4 will be launched soon. What are
the details of this satellite? Could Sentinel Asia expect the data provision of LAPAN-A4 and/or
possibly its future follow-on missions?
Prof. Dr. M. Rokhis Khomarudin
We hope that LAPAN-A4 will be launched this year and we will continue to develop satellites.
LAPAN-A4 is an experimental satellite. It will not operate on its own, but will be used in
combination with LAPAN-A1 to A3. The satellite continues the mission from LAPAN-A3 and will
be used to monitor earth surface conditions with AIS and magnetometer sensors. Its sensor is optical,
with red, green, blue, and infrared, and the resolution will be 4 meters. Regarding data sharing,further discussion is needed, but I think it would be possible to share, especially on disasteremergency response for research purposes, and I will make efforts to make this possible.

* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tohttps://sentinel-asia.org/ecreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
learning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat

Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008, Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** June 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [News] Sentinel Asia Web-GIS has been updated!
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 29 June)(1) Coastal Flood in Indonesia on 23 May, 2022 (GLIDE Number SS-2022-000219-IDN)
A tidal wave hit the northern coast of Central Java, Indonesia, and caused coastal flooding on
23 May. According to Antara News, wide areas on the northern coast were affected.
(https://en.antaranews.com/news/231369/panturas-most-areas-affected-by-coastalfloodingtidal-waves-bnpb)
The Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) made an Emergency Observation Request (EOR)
to Sentinel Asia on 27 May. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the National Applied
Research Laboratories (NARL), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) provided data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs),
the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC),
and the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) provided their VAPs. Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available atthe following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220523ID.html

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2a) provided by ISRO

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by MBRSC

Value-Added Product by AIT(2) Volcano eruption in the Philippines on 5 June, 2022 (GLIDE Number VO-2022-000227PHL)On 5 June, Mount Bulusan in the Philippines erupted, followed by another eruption on the 12th.
The volcano emitted plumes and ash, according to GMA News.
(https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/834947/10-volcanic-quakes-recorded-inbulusan-volcano-alert-level-1-remains/story/)
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) made an EOR to
Sentinel Asia on 13 June. This EOR was escalated to the International Disasters Charter.
PHIVOLCS assumed the role of Project Manager for this Charter activation. Among DPNs,
JAXA, ISRO, NARL, and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency(GISTDA) provided data. Among DANs, MBRSC provided their VAPs. Information on thelatest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220605PH.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2a) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Value-Added Product by MBRSC(3) Flood in India on 15 June, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000213-IND)
Heavy rain continued in Assam, India, and caused massive flooding. According to The Hindu,
nearly 2 million people were affected by 18 June.
(https://en.antaranews.com/news/231369/panturas-most-areas-affected-by-coastalfloodingtidal-waves-bnpb)
ISRO made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 21 June. Among DPNs, JAXA and GISTDA provided
data. In addition, NARL planned to provide its data. Among DANs, EOS, ISRO, MBRSC, andAIT provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at thefollowing link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220615IN.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by AITValue-Added Product by ISRO

Value-Added Product by MBRSC

(4) Flood in Bangladesh on 18 June, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000217-BGD)
The rain also caused flooding in Bangladesh. According to ReliefWeb, around 4 million people(about 40 per cent children) have been affected by the flash flooding in Sylhet Division.
(https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladesh-country-office-humanitarian-situationreport-no-2-north-eastern-flash-flood-19-june-2022)
The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) of Bangladesh made an EOR to Sentinel Asia
on 24 June. Among DPNs, JAXA provided data. In addition, GISTDA planned to provide its
data. Among DANs, AIT provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel
Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220618BD.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by AIT(5) Earthquake in Afghanistan on 22 June, 2022 (GLIDE Number EQ-2022-000232-AFG)
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Afghanistan on 22 June. According to CNN, at least 1,000

people were killed, 2,000 injured, and 10,000 homes destroyed.
(https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/26/world/afghanistan-disease-outbreak-earthquake-survivorsintl-hnk/index.html)
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) made an EOR to
Sentinel Asia on 27 June. Among DPNs, JAXA and ISRO provided data. In addition, NARL
planned to provide its data. Among DANs, EOS provided their VAPs. Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220622AF.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (CARTOSAT-2E) provided by ISRO

Value-Added Product by EOS* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [News] Sentinel Asia Web-GIS has been updated!
By Yuki TAKAKURA (Sentinel Asia Secretariat / JAXA)
About Sentinel Asia Web-GIS
Web-GIS is a web-based tool for easy browsing of satellite observation data or processed productswith your own web browser, requiring only an internet connection. Sentinel Asia Secretariat
launched the Web-GIS service for its Joint Project Team (JPT) members in November 2019 andcontinues to operate the service. When we receive Emergency Observation Requests (EORs), mostof the satellite observation data from Data Provider Node (DPN) and all the processed products
from Data Analysis Node (DAN) are displayed on Web-GIS. This service has been developed
primarily for the benefit of visitors who are not accustomed to satellite imageries or who want tobrows Sentinel Asia data at a glance.
Web-GIS has been updated!
The secretariat updated the Web-GIS page in December 2021. A sample page of the new Web-GIS
is shown below. Please access the page and check the content for yourself.
【NEW Web-GIS URL】
■Flood, Landslide in Timor-Leste on 4 April, 2021
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/0ff1606cecda47de8abbfe7ebeb13a78?item=1[ID] SA_USER5[PW] questionnaire2021*Internet Explorer (IE) is not recommended.

Sample of new Web-GIS page
Updated contents
1. Summarizing the information on the page
You can change the information being displayed simply by clicking the tabs at the top of the page.
The previous version had many tabs showing the data provider organizations. In this updated
version, only three tabs are displayed.
When you click the "VAP_ALL" tab on the left, all the Value-Added Products (VAPs) provided by
the member organizations are displayed (this is the default status). Clicking the “Satellite” tab in
the center, you will see all the satellite observation data provided. For the “Sentinel Asia portal” tabin the right, you will see the page linked to the Sentinel Asia’s Emergency Observation Request(EOR). (Please note that an “ALOS-2 RGB composite” tab may also be added in some cases.)

Similar information is now compiled in a single tab to summarize the information, enabling theuser to easily compare multiple VAPs and observation data. This also ensures that pages are loaded
more quickly when transferring the tabs, guaranteeing a stress-free experience.
2. Simpler with fewer Widgets

Widgets are located in the upper-right section. The previous version displayed many widgets, someof which were not frequently used. This updated version has a simpler presentation, showing only
four very useful widgets. The functions of the new widgets are as follows.
·
About: Shows a summary of the information displayed.
·
Layer List: Selects the information to be displayed.
·
Swipe: Enables to hide the information displayed at the top and compare it with theinformation below it.
·
Basemap Gallery: Changes the background map (default map is the Open Street Map).

3. Displaying the analysis area of VAPs
The previous version did not display the analysis area of the VAPs. However, the new version
shows the analysis area of the VAPs inside a red frame, so when you see that there is no
confirmation of damage within the area, this makes it easier to understand that the area is notdamaged.
Questionnaire feedback from Sentinel Asia members
In January 2022, the Secretariat conducted a questionnaire on the updated version of Web-GIS toobtain feedback from Sentinel Asia members. We appreciate the cooperation of the 18 members
who responded. All of the respondents stated that they prefer the updated version and are satisfied
with it.

Overall satisfaction

Better than before
3

7
11
15

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Yes

Maybe

Results of the questionnaire (based on 18 replies)

Here is some of the feedback:・Very helpful tool for requestor and other JPT members!!
・We are very thankful for the membership.
Conclusion
Sentinel Asia Web-GIS will continue to be improved for the benefit of the members. If you have
any requests or suggestions for improvements, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat.
* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** July 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
3. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 25 July)(1) Flood, Landslide and Storm in Vietnam 7 July, 2022 (GLIDE Number FF-2022-000259VNM)
A flash flood triggered by heavy rains occurred in Cao Bang Province, a northern area ofVietnam near the border with China, on 7 July. According to VnExpress, four people were
swept away.
(https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/flash-floods-sweep-away-4-in-northern-vietnam4484240.html)
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of Vietnam made an
Emergency Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 7 July. Among Data Provider
Nodes (DPNs), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Geo-Informatics andSpace Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), and the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) provided data. Among Data
Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) provided its
VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available atthe following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220707VN.html

Satellite image (CARTOSAT-2E) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by MBRSC(2) Flood in Andhra Pradesh, India, on 12 July, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000213-IND)
Flooding occurred around Godavari River in early July and caused severe damage in the area.
(https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/andhra-pradesh-flood-situationturns-grim-as-water-enters-many-habitations/article65636359.ece)
ISRO made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 13 July. Among DPNs, GISTDA and JAXA provided
data. Among DANs, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and MBRSC provided their VAPs.
Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220712IN.html

Satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by AITValue-Added Product by MBRSC

(3) Flood in Gujarat, India on 12 July, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000213-IND)
Heavy rainfall caused massive flooding in Gujarat, India, in mid-July. According to The Mint,
red alerts for heavy rainfall have been announced in eight districts and nearly 811 people havebeen rescued in the Navsari district of Gujarat in a single day.
(https://www.livemint.com/news/india/gujarat-floods-at-least-811-rescued-as-torrential-rainshit-several-parts-of-gujarat-11658026853119.html/page-2)
ISRO made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 13 July. Among DPNs, GISTDA and JAXA provided
data. In addition, NARL planned to provide its data. Among DANs, AIT and MBRSC provided
their VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following
link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220713IN.html

Satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by AITValue-Added Product by MBRSC

(4) Earthquake in the Philippines on 27 July, 2022 (GLIDE Number EQ-2022-000273-PHL)
A magnitude 7 earthquake hit Northern Luzon, Philippines, on 27 July. According to CNN, theNational Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced that four
people, two in Benguet and others in Abra and Kalinga, died.
(https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/7/27/earthquake-7.3-magnitude-AbraLuzon.html?fbclid=IwAR11qBYdRXDgv9WhuSlLpH04CSJVg7LBsS76vZSLf6ErcHGgzXtr5
tVT3x8)The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) made an EOR to
Sentinel Asia on 27 July. This EOR was escalated to the International Disasters Charter.
PHIVOLCS assumed the role of Project Manager for this Charter activation. Information on thelatest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220727PH.html* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat

Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** August 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
3. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 31 August)(1) Earthquake in the Philippines on 27 July, 2022 (GLIDE Number EQ-2022-000273-PHL)
A magnitude 7 earthquake hit Northern Luzon, the Philippines, on 27 July. According to CNN,
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced thatfour people, two in Benguet and others in Abra and Kalinga, died.
(https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/7/27/earthquake-7.3-magnitude-AbraLuzon.html?fbclid=IwAR11qBYdRXDgv9WhuSlLpH04CSJVg7LBsS76vZSLf6ErcHGgzXtr5
tVT3x8)The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) made an Emergency
Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 27 July. This EOR was escalated to theInternational Disasters Charter. PHIVOLCS assumed the role of Project Manager for thisCharter activation. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA) and the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) provided data.
Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the Earth
Observatory of Singapore (EOS) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)
provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link
below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220727PH.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AIT

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by MBRSC(2) Flood in Pakistan on 17 August, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000254-PAK)
Heavy rains in Pakistan in July caused flooding. Balochistan province in southwestern part ofthe country was the hardest hit. According to the Climate Home News, at least 550 people were
killed across Pakistan.
(https://www.climatechangenews.com/2022/08/11/pakistan-struggles-to-rebuild-after-deadlyflash-floods/)
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 18 August.
Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), JAXA,
and NARL provided data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), AIT and EOS provided their
VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220817PK.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AITValue-Added Product by EOS(3) Storm, Flood, and Landslide in the Philippines on 23 August, 2022 (GLIDE Number TC2022-000294-PHL)
Tropical Storm Ma-On (Florita) struck Luzon Island in the Philippines on 23 August. The
Business Standard reported that three people died and four were injured, with nearly 50,000
people in almost 400 villages affected.
(https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/3-killed-4-injured-in-philippines-astropical-cyclone-ma-on-intensifies-122082500521_1.html)
The Manila Observatory (MO) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 23 August. Among Data
Provider Nodes (DPNs), Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency(GISTDA), ISRO, JAXA, and NARL provided data. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.

https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220823PH.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2A) provided by ISRO
(4) Flood in India on 23 August, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000295-IND)
Heavy rain in India caused flooding in several areas of the nation. At least six people were
killed and many evacuated, according to Hindustan Times.
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/heavy-rains-trigger-flood-fury-in-mp-odisha-6dead-101661195462428.html)
ISRO made an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 24 August. Among
Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), GISTDA, JAXA, and NARL provided data. Information on thelatest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220823IN.html* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *-

3. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** September 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Event] Promoted Sentinel Asia’s activities at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 29 September)(1) Flood in India on 23 August, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000295-IND)
Heavy rain in India caused flooding in several areas of the nation. At least six people were
killed and many evacuated, according to the Hindustan Times.
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/heavy-rains-trigger-flood-fury-in-mp-odisha-6dead-101661195462428.html)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made an Emergency Observation Request(EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 24 August. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the GeoInformatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL)
provided data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre(MBRSC) provided its VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available atthe link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220823IN.html

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by MBRSC

(2) Earthquake in China on 5 September, 2022 (GLIDE Number EQ-2022-000303-CHN)
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck China’s Sichuan Province on 5 September, killing dozens of
the residents, USA Today reported.
(https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/world/2022/09/08/6-8-magnitude-earthquakeshakes-china/8022272001/)
The Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration (CEA) made an EOR to Sentinel
Asia on 6 September. Among DPNs, JAXA provided data. Among DANs, the Earth
Observatory of Singapore (EOS) provided its VAPs. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220905CN.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by EOS(3) Earthquake in Taiwan on 17 September, 2022 (GLIDE Number EQ-2022-000303-CHN)
On 18 and 19 September, a series of earthquakes including ones at magnitude 6.4 and 6.5 hit
Taiwan, leaving one dead and many injured, according to the Guardian.

(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/18/taiwan-earthquake-damage-hualien)
The National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 19
September. Among DPNs, ISRO and GISTDA provided data. Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220917TW.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2A) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA(4) Storm, Flood, and Landslide in the Philippines on 25 September, 2022 (GLIDE Number
TC-2022-000318-PHL)
A strong typhoon Noru (Karding) made landfall in the Philippines and passed over Luzon
Island, causing heavy damage, Channel News Asia reported.
(https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/typhoon-noru-philippines-marcos-aid-thousandsevacuate-flood-dead-2964846)
The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHACentre) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 25 September. Among DPNs, ISRO and JAXA
provided data. Among DANs, EOS provided its VAPs. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220925PH.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2A) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by EOS

(5) Storm, Flood, and Landslide in Vietnam on 28 September, 2022 (GLIDE Number TC-2022000318-PHL)
After passing over the Philippines and the South China Sea, Typhoon Noru (Karding) madelandfall in Vietnam. According to Channel News Asia, Noru was downgraded to a tropicaldepression, but there is still risk of flooding and landslides.
(https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/typhoon-noru-vietnam-tropical-storm-flood-risk2969821)
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia
on 28 September. Among DPNs, ISRO provided data. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220928VN.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Event] Promotion of Sentinel Asia’s activities at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR)
The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was held from 19 to 22
September 2022 in Brisbane, Australia.
The Sentinel Asia Secretariat ran an exhibition booth to promote Sentinel Asia’s activities during
the APMCDRR. The Sentinel Asia booth welcomed more than 100 participants per day.
For more information on APMCDRR 2022, please refer to https://apmcdrr.undrr.org/.

Sentinel Asia exhibition booth* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** October 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
3. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 28 October)(1) Storm, Flood, and Landslide in Vietnam on 28 September, 2022 (GLIDE Number TC-2022000318-PHL)
After passing over the Philippines and the South China Sea, Typhoon Noru (Karding) madelandfall in Vietnam. According to Channel News Asia, Noru was downgraded to a tropicaldepression, but there is still risk of flooding and landslides.
(https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/typhoon-noru-vietnam-tropical-storm-flood-risk2969821)
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) made an Emergency
Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 28 September. Among Data Provider Nodes(DPNs), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), and National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) provided data. Among Data
Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Earth Observatory ofSingapore (EOS) provided their Value-Added Products (VAPs). Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20220928VN.html

Post-disaster satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AIT

Value-Added Product by EOS(2) Manaslu avalanche in Nepal on 2 October, 2022 (GLIDE Number AV-2022-000329-NPL)
On 26 September, a massive avalanche hit the climbing route near camps in the Mount Manaslu
area in the Himalayas. One person died and 13 were injured, the Everest Chronicle reported.
(https://everestchronicle.com/two-climbers-died-scores-injured-in-manaslu-avalanche/)
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) of Nepal made an EOR to Sentinel
Asia on 9 October. Among DPNs, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development
Agency (GISTDA), ISRO, JAXA, and NARL provided data. Among DANs, EOS provided its
VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20221002NP.html

Post-disaster satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Post-disaster satellite image (Resourcesat-2A) provided by ISRO

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by EOS(3) Flood in India on 13 October, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000335-IND)
Uttar Pradesh state in northern India suffered a large-scale flood caused by heavy rain.
According to the Hindustan Times, 19,042 people have moved to shelters.
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/1667-villages-in-21-up-districtsinundated-101665766963350.html)
ISRO made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 15 October. Among DPNs, GISTDA, JAXA, andNARL provided data. Among DANs, AIT, EOS, and NARL provided their VAPs. Informationon the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20221013IN.html

Post-disaster satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AIT

Value-Added Product by EOS

Value-Added Product by NARL

(4) Flood in Thailand on 19 October, 2022 (GLIDE Number FL-2022-000333-THA)
Typhoon Noru (Karding) made landfall in Asian countries on the Pacific at the end of
September. It caused flooding in large areas in Thailand.
(https://www.thaipbsworld.com/flooding-in-thailands-northeast-is-expected-to-improve-nextmonth)
GISTDA made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 19 October. Among DPNs, ISRO and JAXA
provided data. Among DANs, AIT and NARL provided its VAPs. Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20221019TH.html

Post-disaster satellite image (Resourcesat-2A) provided by ISRO

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AITValue-Added Product by NARL

* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540

- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** November 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. Sentinel Asia participated in a session at APRSAF-28
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 28 November)(1) Earthquake in Indonesia on 21 November, 2022 (GLIDE Number EQ-2022-000363-IDN)
A magnitude-5.6 earthquake hit the island of Java, Indonesia, on 21 November. There weremore than 260 casualties, and about 22,200 houses were affected, according to ReliefWeb.
(https://reliefweb.int/disaster/eq-2022-000363-idn)
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) made an Emergency Observation
Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 22 November. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), theGeo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) provided data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs),
the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) provided
its Value-Added Products (VAPs). Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia isavailable at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20221121ID.html

Post-disaster satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value-Added Product by EOS* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. Sentinel Asia participated in a session at APRSAF-28
The 28th session of Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-28) was held in Hanoi,
Vietnam, from 15–18 November, co-organized by the Vietnam Academy of Science andTechnology (VAST), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
of Japan, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). At the Satellite Applications forSocietal Benefit Working Group (SAWG) session, Sentinel Asia reported its recent activities, andvarious challenges were discussed by experts from space agencies as well as disaster management
organizations, universities, and other agencies related to Sentinel Asia. Some Sentinel Asia
members including Yamaguchi University, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI),
the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology
Development Agency (GISTDA), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Earth
Observatory of Singapore (EOS) of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and JAXA

presented their projects supporting Sentinel Asia’s activities.

Group photo of SAWG 2022

Plenary session
At the plenary session, Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun, Deputy Executive Director, GISTDA, who also
serves as co-chair of the Sentinel Asia Steering Committee, gave a summary report of the Sentinel
Asia session. The agenda of the Sentinel Asia session can be found at the link below.
https://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf28/pdf/working_groups/Agenda_SAWG.pdf* - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)

HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

** December 2022 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Dr. Lal Samarakoon, PhD; Former Director of GIC-AIT; former co-chair ofSentinel Asia Steering Committee
3. [Report] Sentinel Asia Annual Report 2021 has been published!
4. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
5. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 26 December)(1) Volcano eruption in Indonesia on 04 December, 2022 (GLIDE Number VO-2022-000373IDN)
Semeru Volcano on Java Island, Indonesia, erupted on 4 December. ReliefWeb reported that
more than 2,000 people were displaced to shelters.
(https://reliefweb.int/disaster/vo-2022-000373-idn)
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) made an Emergency Observation Request(EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 5 December, 2022. This EOR was escalated to the International
Disasters Charter. The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) assumed the role of ProjectManager for this Charter activation. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the Centre for
Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP), the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology
Development Agency (GISTDA), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Applied Research Laboratories(NARL) provided data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Mohammed Bin RashidSpace Centre (MBRSC) provided its Value-Added Products (VAPs). Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2022/article20221204ID.html

Post-disaster satellite image (TELEOS-1) provided by CRISP

Post-disaster satellite image (THEOS-1) provided by GISTDA

Post-disaster satellite image (Cartosat-3) provided by ISRO

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by MBRSC

- * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Dr. Lal Samarakoon, PhD; Former Director of GIC-AIT; former co-chair of Sentinel
Asia Steering Committee
Lal Samarakoon, PhD; Former Director of GIC-AIT; former co-chair of Sentinel Asia Steering
Committee

Dr. Lal Samarakoon was the first director of the Geoinformatics Center (GIC) of the Asian Instituteof Technology (AIT), concurrently holding a position as a Visiting Scientist of JAXA seconded to
AIT. He started his space technology career in early 1990 after completing his graduate studies inJapan. He has worked for Japanese industry before leading GIC for about 15 years. He has contributed
to Sentinel Asia from the very beginning and was instrumental in establishing GIC as the firstPrincipal Data Analysis Node (PDAN) of SA. He was one of the co-chairs of the SA Steering
Committee since its inception in 2017 until 2022.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat:
First, the Sentinel Asia (SA) secretariat would like to express its appreciation for your work as a
Co-chair of the Sentinel Asia Steering Committee (SC). AIT participated in Sentinel Asia from thevery beginning and has contributed to today’s success of SA. With that, could you tell us the story of
AIT’s participation in SA, as a former director of GIC-AIT?
Dr. Lal Samarakoon:
First of all, let me thank you for giving me this opportunity to discuss my experience of working for
SA in the past 15 years. To answer your question, let me give you a background on how GIC-AIT
joined SA to work together to improve the SA system.
The idea of the SA was initially proposed at the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum(APRSAF) in November 2004 following multiple discussions. I was lucky to be involved in those
discussions as one of the pioneer members, as I was a Visiting Scientist of JAXA since 2003. At thesame time, I was the director of GIC-AIT established in 2003 combining the GIS Application
Center (GAC) and the Asian Center for Research on Remote Sensing (ACRoRS) established by
Prof. Shunji Murai and Dr. Kiyoshi Honda, respectively.
The idea of the SA was later approved to be promptly implemented as a pilot project at APRSAF-12

held in Kitakyushu, Japan, in October 2005. My major role as JAXA Visiting Scientist based at
GIC-AIT was the promotion of the use of satellite data and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific. I
was positioned in an advantageous place at GIC to use the GIC-AIT network to reach various
institutes in the region for networking to promote SA activities. Whenever I had a chance toparticipate in regional meetings such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), or
during a country visit for research or training activities, I always publicized SA and discussed thebenefits of being a user/partner of SA.
After a couple of years of good work, I managed to establish GIC-AIT as the first PDAN of SA.
GIC has been given this credential after producing a considerable number of Value Added Products(VAPs), demonstrating the expertise of data analysis in the region and contributing to capacity
building. Since then, I believe that GIC is doing a great job supporting the region making timely
VAP products and sharing these products with respective user agencies. I am happy for leading GIC
as the first PDAN of SA since the early stages of SA and thankful to the staff for their excellent
work for the region.

Secretariat:
As we said, we are grateful for your co-chairship at SC. Is there anything that you found impressiveat SC?
Dr. Samarakoon:
The SC of the SA is a great idea to enhance the system, to improve its efficiency, to adjust for user
and provider needs, and to provide a stage for brainstorming. All the SC members seem to be happy
about the discussions and progress of activities; however, I believe that we had more room toimprove and that there are still areas to do better in. The idea of an SC, an independent gathering
where a few volunteers can sit and chat about ways to improve the system, was brought up during
APRSAF meetings and was eventually endorsed at APRSAF 21 in 2014.
The first SC meeting was held in Bangkok in early 2017, hosted by the Geo-Informatics and SpaceTechnology Development Agency (GISTDA), where we started to talk and brainstorm about SA’s
strategic plan. The ideas that came up during the meeting were documented and I made the firstdraft of the strategic plan under five thematic areas for consideration at the Joint Project Team
Meeting of SA. This provided a platform to share the requirements of SA and share them with theexpertise of participating agencies. I believe that SC members who took the leading role did a goodjob providing essential technical and procedural guidance to improve SA data distribution and VAP
creation systems. I am happy to be one of the co-chairs of the SC from its beginning until the 2022
meeting in Bangkok. I enjoyed working with co-chair Mr. Koji Suzuki of Asian Disaster Reduction
Center (ADRC) and all the SC members and am thankful for their positive contribution. Having
said that, I should also note here that the strategic plan we designed in 2017 needs revisions to adopt
new technologies as well as new development in IT technology to strengthen SA.

Secretariat:
Did you have any policy or strategy in supporting SA’s operation through your co-chairship?

Dr. Samarakoon:
I was one of the co-chairs since the beginning of SC in 2015. With my experience working with
JAXA, other space agencies in Asia, disaster risk reduction (DRR) agencies, and internationalorganizations, it was easy for me to reach out to many experts and DRR- and space-related leadersin the region. One of the discussions and the concerns at the SC was how to get all the participants
motivated. I always wanted everyone’s participation and collaboration to strengthen the SA. I
wanted to be independent while chairing SC meetings so that I would be able to discuss and observe
all the discussions from the perspective of other members and partners. I appointed a staff member
to represent GIC at SC meetings, as I didn’t want to take the floor as the director of GIC. That
helped me to be the co-chair even after I left GIC, I believe. So, my strategy as the co-chair was tobe proactive, collaborative, and independent.

Secretariat:
During your time at GIC and after that, GIC continues to provide VAPs. Are there any Emergency
Observation Requests (EORs) that stand out, and why?
Dr. Samarakoon:
When addressing emergency response, we tried our best to communicate with local agencies formany reasons. One of the main reasons is to determine local agency requirements, what information
they would like to have extracted, at what scale, etc.
One interesting case that I can remember was from Myanmar. From the Department of Meteorology
and Hydrology (DMH) of Myanmar, a request was submitted to SA to find the reason for a sudden
water level increase in a northern city. DMH suspected several possible reasons such as sudden andintensive precipitation in the river basin, excessive snowmelt, burst or breach of a lake, etc. We
collected various data including GSMaP, ALOS, etc. and provided DMH various VAPs based on
those satellite data. Observation on time series GSMaP showed high-intensity rainfall over the basin
and we were happy to provide very good satellite-based products to identify the reason for DMH
with evidence. On the other hand, we realized that requirements can be better addressed by
combining various observations.
Another interesting case was in Sri Lanka where we could mobilize the local Disaster Management
Center (DMC) to visit a few places and check data during flood map creation. We worked closelywith a survey group to compare mapping results and then extrapolate them over a large area in
Colombo. In this activity, DMC noticed that Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data showed apromising application in flood mapping; particularly in rainy conditions, there are some concerns
regarding urban mapping due to the double bounce scatter of radar. Both these cases involved
dealing with the crisis as well as developing technological know-how because it was possible to get
local agency participation. So, how to get local agencies involved in the VAP creation and sharing
process will always be an interesting issue.

Secretariat:
Since the launch of SA, the SA satellite fleet keeps growing. Are there any satellites or data that

stand out, and why?
Dr. Samarakoon:
Although for the last few years I do not work directly with satellite data, from my experiences withseveral flood disasters in the region where we usually have prevailing cloud cover on rainy days,
SAR data are more significant than optical data. I don’t think it would be good idea to compare
agencies that provide satellite data to SA, but I could say that the SAR data of JAXA has many
advantages over other optical data in flood inundation mapping or flood dynamics monitoring aswell as following the recovery. It would be great if SA-SC could start a discussion on NASA-ISROSAR mission (NISAR) under the SA program for emergency response.

Secretariat:
We suppose that a certain level of skills is necessary for making VAPs and capacity building isimportant to keep such engineers. Could we have your opinion on such capacity building?
Dr. Lal Samarakoon:
Typically, we used to teach the principles of remote sensing, sensors, interaction with theatmosphere, energy reactions, etc. while discussing how we could interpret satellite data to groundobjects through hands-on training. In today’s IT world and given the solution-oriented nature of
problem-solving strategies, I believe that typical capacity building may not be necessary.
Nowadays, the trend is to create solution-oriented systems and tools that people can access over theinternet and cloud systems without any requirements, or with limited knowledge of remote sensing
systems. Therefore, guidance and demonstrations on how to use these cloud-based facilities are
currently in need to use satellite data more efficiently and in a timelier manner. Developing sometools based on the needs of end users is something that we need to invest time and effort in. I would
prefer research by institutes like AIT, the University of Tokyo, and Yamaguchi University withvarious types of data and come up with solution and tools for end users to use as they wish. Sometools like SAR-Flood, Optical-Flood, Flood-Changes would be ideal for end users to use with SA
data over a cloud-based system.

Secretariat:
Cooperation with other countries and other institutions is indispensable to delivering the VAPs toaffected areas in a timely manner. Could we have your opinion on maintaining and developing suchcooperation?
Dr. Lal Samarakoon:
This is always a challenge. How to bring end-use agencies on board and maintain goodcollaboration is a topic to continue at SC. SA PDANs and some DANs are working tirelessly to
produce VAPs in time and provide them to relevant agencies in a timely manner but always somequestions remain regarding the timing of the products, product requirements, product accuracy, etc.
Therefore, it is necessary to have end-user agency collaborations within the SA system to make thebest use of VAP products.

Although such collaborations are happening in some countries, still we have to make efforts tobring onboard several DRR agencies in the region to better prepare the VAPs for emergency disaster
response programs. In this regard, I believe that having collaborators such as ADRC serves toimprove and establish a closer relationship with DRR agencies to promote the use of VAPs and findways to deliver VAPs to the most appropriate user during a given disaster.

Secretariat:
Recently, the number of organizations, from both the public and private sectors, in the field of
disaster management is growing, with part of them relating to the Disasters Charter. From aviewpoint of disseminating information to affected areas smoothly, what kind of relations should SA
have with these organizations?
Dr. Samarakoon:
Let me start the answer by discussing the public sector. SA has been primarily dealing with public
sector agencies in the region, as they have national mandates and obligations to provide assistanceduring disaster and recovery.
However, reaching out to the end user and DRR agencies is not always an easy task, as we have tofollow the national direction of a given country to reach them. Therefore, it is necessary to
determine and prepare a structural strategy to reach out to national DRRs in each country.
On that matter, I can remember that we carried out a few successful national-level meetings inIndonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar during 2014–2015 in which we tried to connect national DRR
agencies with space agencies to establish connections based on each country’s structure and set the
ground for SA activities and support. During those meetings, the value of SA, accessing VAPs,
creating VAPs, and using VAPs within their local GIS systems were demonstrated. Those meetings
were quite successful in expanding the local network and reaching out to end users. It would be niceif this effort can be further explored.
The private sector does not have any obligation to help in a disaster situation, but they may like tojoin the system if they can identify direct or indirect benefits. This would be quite true in disaster
preparedness activities, as various private sector DRR models can be linked with satellite data for
2D mapping, large-area estimations, verification, visualization, etc. It is good to see them joining
even SC.

Secretariat:
Climate change is a part of the causes of the current growth of natural disasters. What should SA doabout this?
Dr. Lal Samarakoon:
It is documented and many researchers have demonstrated that climate change would be one of thereasons for an increase in natural disasters. Addressing climate change, observing climate change
indicators, or being involved in climate change action plans are beyond the scope of SA. The SA
was launched to support disaster risk management where possible. Whether it is due to climatechange or not, the task of SA remains unchanged.

If the disaster and hazard frequency increases, the pressure on the system will increase. Handling of
EORs, data acquisition, and sharing will require more resources. Therefore, it is more important tohave an automated system for the acquisition of data, processing, and distribution that canaccommodate the increasing number of requests in a timely manner.
I have some concerns about the data providers. JAXA is very active but data coming from otherregional agencies are somewhat limited. There is a need to renew existing data providers’relationships by getting them more committed to providing data, at least for emergency response.
Collaboration support could be further enhanced by proactive bilateral discussions rather thanleaving open invitations to data providers.

Secretariat:
As the last question, we would like to have your advice on what is necessary for the implementationof SA Step 3 and the further progress of Sentinel Asia.
Dr. Samarakoon:
I know well that SA is moving toward extending the target to cover the total disaster cycle, that is,
to support the region with emergency response as well as preparedness and recovery.
Despite discussing this in several SC meetings, I have not seen any tangible effort fromparticipating agencies to materialize this. It is not that they are not supportive to the idea, but there
could be many limitations in data provision.
I believe that this is not an easy task to achieve. Will it be possible to obtain satellite data to acquire
information on the preparedness or recovery phase? Which space agency is ready to provide
tailored and timely satellite data to address these needs? We know there are some satellite data with
an open data policy. In the time to come, some satellites will be launched with an open data policy.
Though these data are freely accessible, no satellite data service supports particular pre-disaster or
post-disaster activities. Those free data systems are not tailor-made to address given hazards andpredict disasters. Such a system will not come to exist, as data needs are very diverse, limiting theserving capacity of satellite programs. But I suggest trying it with data other than earth observation
data; GSMaP and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) would be worth to try. These twosystems combined with earth observation have shown many potential applications that could help in
disaster preparedness and recovery stages.

- * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. [Report] Sentinel Asia Annual Report 2021 has been published!
Sentinel Asia’s activity report for 2021 has been published. The report features, among others, (i) adetailed review on EORs conducted in 2021 including good practices; (ii) external relations such as
news, publications, and reports on conferences; and (iii) an analytical survey of Sentinel Asia’s
operations.
In 2021, like 2020, Sentinel Asia’s annual general meeting “Joint Project Team Meeting (JPTM)” wasforced to be called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, this Annual Report provided

JPT members with an alternative opportunity to report their Sentinel Asia-related activities, which
would have been provided as part of the JPTM. In response to the invitation by the Sentinel Asia
secretariat team, 20 JPT members contributed their activity reports, which are printed in the Appendix
section of the Annual Report.
The Annual Report is available on the Sentinel Asia webpage atasia.org/reports/Reports/SA_Annual_Report_2021.pdf

https://sentinel-- * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *5. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreateanaccount
for
OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2022 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
TEL: +81-3-6435-6785
FAX: +81-3-5777-1580

List of JPT Members

as of Dec 2022

112 JPT members (95 organizations from 29 countries/regions and 17 international organizations)
No.

Country / Region

No.

1

Armenia1

Ministry of Emergency Situation (MES)2

CSIRO Office of Space Science and Applications (COSSA)

2Australia

3

Geoscience Australia (GA)4

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)

3

Bangladesh

5

6

4

5

6

BhutanBrunei

Cambodia

China

Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan
Department of Geology and Mines (DGM)10

Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS)

11

Survey Department (SD), Ministry of Development

9

Fiji

India

Indonesia

Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning andConstruction
National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM)
National Disaster Reduction Center of China (NDRCC),
Ministry of Civil Affair
College of Disaster and Emergency Management, Beijing
Normal University (BNU)
Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration (CEA)✔

17

Sichuan University✔

18

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)✔

Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE),
National Disaster Management Office, FIJI (NDMO)

21

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)

22

University of Kashmir

23

Gauhati University
Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics (SIG) , Symbiosis
International University (SIU)

25

National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)

26

National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)

27

Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB)

28

Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani (UNJANI)

29
30

✔

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

20

24

10

✔

16

19
8

Cultural Affairs

915

Node (DAN)

Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home and814Node (DPN)

Organization (SPARRSO)National Land Commission

12

Data Provider Data Analysis

Bangladesh Space Research and remote Sensing

7

13

7

Organization

Center for Remote Sensing and Ocean Sciences (CReSOS)
Udayana University
Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔
✔

11

Japan

31

Keio University

32

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

33

Infrastructure Development Institute (IDI) Japan (IFNet)

34

Hokkaido University

35

Yamaguchi University✔

36

Chubu University✔

37

Chiba University✔

38

Hiroshima Institute of Technology✔

39

Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT)

✔

40
41
42

12

Kazakhstan

13

Korea

14

Kyrgyz15

Lao P.D.R.

16

17

18

Malaysia

Mongolia

Myanmar✔

University
University of Tokyo✔

National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster✔

Resilience (NIED)Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

44

RIKEN

✔

45

Kobe University✔

46

National Center of Space Researches and Technologies (NCSRT)✔

47

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)

48

National Disaster Management Research Institute (NDMI)✔

49

Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences (CAIAG)✔

50

Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare

51

National Security Division, Prime Minister's Department

Malaysian National Space Agency (ANGKASA)
Information And Research Institute Of Meteorology,
Hydrology And Environment (IRIMHE)

55

Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH)

56

Relief and Resettlement Department (RRD)

59
60
61

✔

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)

53
54

✔

Natural Resources and Environment Institute (NREI),

52

58

Nepal

International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku

✔

43

57

19

✔

Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC) , Myanmar
Engineering Society (MES)
Survey Department (SD)
Department of Water Induced Disaster Management (DWIDM),
Ministry of Irrigation

Land Management Training Centre
Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Ministryof Population & Environment✔

20

Pakistan

62

21

Papua New Guinea

63
64
65

66

67
22

Philippines

68

69

70
71
72

23

24

25

Singapore

Sri Lanka

TaiwanTurkiye

Office of Civil Defense (OCD), National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council (NDRRMC)

National Mapping and Resource Information Authority✔

(NAMRIA)
Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM),
Department of Agriculture
Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB), Department ofEnvironment and Natural Resources
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical✔

Services Administration (PAGASA)
Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging
Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD)
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology✔

(PHIVOLCS)
Manila Observatory (MO)✔

NOAH Center of the University of the Philippines Resilience✔

Institute

74

Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS)✔

75

Survey Department of Sri Lanka✔

76

Ministry of Disaster Management

77

Taiwan Space Agency (TASA)

78

National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL)

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency(GISTDA)82

Department of Water Resources (DWR)

83

Royal Forest Department (RFD)84

National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department

85

Royal Irrigation Department (RID)86Land Development Department (LDD)
Andaman Environment and Natural Disaster ResearchCenter, Prince of Songkla University (ANED, PSU)
Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD)

✔

✔
✔

✔
✔
✔

Central University (CSRSR, NCU)

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)

88✔

Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National

81

87
27

National Disaster Centre (NDC)

Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP)

80

Thailand✔

(SUPARCO)

73

79

26

Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission

✔

✔

✔

28 United Arab Emirates

29

Vietnam

89

Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)

✔

✔

90

Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST)

✔

✔

91

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)

92

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)

93

Cartography Department, Ministry of Defense (MOD)94

Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)

95

Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)The ASEAN Secretariat

100
101
102

Organization
30(VIGMR)

97

99

International

Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources

96

98

✔

✔

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asiaand the Pacific (UNESCAP)
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)International Center for Integrated Mountain Development✔

(ICIMOD)CSIRO Office of Space Science and Applications (COSSA)International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management(ICHARM)

103

Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)✔

104

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC/SOPAC)✔

105

The World Bank (WB)

106

International Water Management Institute (IWMI)✔

107

Asian Development Bank (ADB)✔

108

ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on
disaster management (AHA Centre)

109

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Pakistan

110

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)✔

111

Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU)✔

112

UN World Food Programme (WFP)

✔
8

53

Emergency Observation Requests (2007 - 2021)

Number of requested EOR (by each disaster)

Activation

Rejection

Percentage ofActivation

Volcanic
Eruption

RequestNumber of requested EOR (by year)

Indonesia

63

56

7

88.9

7

2

5

9

2

4

2

Vietnam

58

52

6

89.7

2

2

4

7

2

1

2

Philippine

57

55

2

96.5

1

1

6

1

4

4

3

1

2

4

4

2

5

4

8

7

57

20

35.1

10

India

38

34

4

89.5

1

4

3

1

2

2

1

2

1

3

3

5

4

6

38

25

65.8

Japan

26

26

0

100.0

1

4

1

3

3

2

1

2

3

2

2

26

12

Nepal

23

22

1

95.7

1

2

1

2

1

1

1

4

2

Thailand

18

16

2

88.9

2

3

1

2

1

1

Sri Lanka

16

15

1

93.8

2

2

1

Taiwan

16

16

0

100.0

2

1

Myanmar

15

13

2

86.7

Pakistan

13

9

4

69.2

China

12

10

2

83.3

Bangladesh

11

11

0

100.0

3

1

Tajikistan

9

9

0

100.0

1

2

1

1

Kyrgyzstan

8

5

3

62.5

1

3

1

Bhutan

7

5

2

71.4

2

Kazakhstan

6

4

2

66.7

1

2

Mongolia

6

0

6

0.0

2

Australia

5

5

0

100.0

Brunei

5

3

2

60.0

Cambodia

4

4

0

100.0

Lao PDR

4

4

0

100.0

Solomon

3

3

0

100.0

Malaysia

3

3

0

100.0

Korea

3

3

0

100.0

Fiji

3

3

0

100.0

Turkey

4

4

0

100.0

Tonga

3

3

0

100.0

PNG

2

2

0

100.0

Vanuatu

2

2

0

100.0

New Zealand

1

1

0

100.0

Iran

1

1

0

100.0

1

1

Lebanon

1

1

0

100.0

1

1

United Arab Emirates

1

1

0

100.0

Timor-Leste

1

1

0

100.0

1

1

1

100.0

0.0

Uzbekistan

1

1

0

100.0

1

1

1

100.0

0.0

Afghanistan

2

1

1

50.0

1

2

1

50.0

1

50.0

Total

451

404

47

-

28

451

231

-

59

-

Flood

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Earthquake

Landslide

Typhoon

Forest fire

Total
Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

Num.

4

2

7

3

4

2

4

3

3

2

3

12

6

4

5

4

2
2

1

1
1

1

2

2

5

3

2

(%)

63

23

36.5

15

23.8

4

6.3

2

58

44

75.9

0

0.0

1

1.7

2

3.2

14

22.2

1

1.7

17.5

15

26.3

1

1.8

1

2.6

1

2.6

1

2.6

46.2

5

19.2

3

11.5

2

7.7

3

13.0

1

4.3

1

23

14

60.9

2

8.7

1

1

3

18

15

83.3

1

5.6

16

12

75.0

16

4

25.0

3

15

9

60.0

1

13

6

1

12

1

(%)

Num.

2
5

4
1

Num.

8.8

(%)

3.4

Num.

(%)

5

7.9

1

1.7

2

3.5

4

7.0

7

18.4

3

7.9

2

8.7

1

6.3

1

7.7

15.4

4.3

1

6.3

1

6.3

2

15.4

4

30.8

2

16.7

6

50.0

3

25.0

11

6

54.5

2

18.2

2

9

4

44.4

2

22.2

2

22.2

1

11.1

2

8

3

37.5

1

12.5

2

25.0

2

25.0

7

4

57.1

3

42.9

6

3

50.0

2

33.3

1

16.7

1

6

2

33.3

3

50.0

1

16.7

1

5

3

60.0

1

20.0

5

4

80.0

4

4

100.0

4

3

75.0

1

25.0

1

33.3

1

100.0

2

2

2

1

1

2
1

1

2

1

1

1

2

1

1
1

1

2

1

1

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

1

33.3

2

1

3

2

66.7

1
1

1

1

1

3

1

3

1

33.3

4

1

25.0

1
1

2

1

1

1

1

1
1

1

19

25

36

32

31

1

66.7
1

2

50.0

1

1

33.3

1

33.3

33.3

1

1

28

28

34

20.0

1

33.3

2

66.7

2

100.0

25.0

3

1

27.3

33.3

50.0

1

33.3

1

50.0

100.0

100.0

1

1
20

8.3
3

20.0

6.7

1

2

1

25

1

2

1

39

37.5
1

1

2

1

6

12.5

11.1

46.2

1

3

1

2

2

6.7

4

1

43

(%)

1

2

1

24

Num.

26.7

1

1

19

(%)

4

2

3

20

Num.

15.5

1

3

(%)

9

2

1

Num.

6.3

1

2

1

Num.

1

2

3

1

(%)

18.8

1

1

2

Num.

others

6.3

3

2

1

(%)

Oil Spill

1

2

1

1

2

Num.

Cyclone

1

29

-

36

-

18

-

25

-

21

100.0

-

7

-

25

-

JPT member report “Sentinel Asia Activity in 2022”
1

ADRC

Participation for the meeting and conference2

AHA Center

AHA Centre Disaster Situation Report on the AHA Centre Response for Tropical
Cyclone NORU and Tropical Cyclone NALGAE

3

BRIN

Summary of the Analysis of the Major Disaster Events in Indonesia in 2022

4

CEA

Requested for the Earthquake in Shiuan

5

Chiba

EMERGENCY RESPONSE OF THE 2022 TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE

University
6

DHM

Requested for GLOF in Nepal

7

EOS

EOR Responses and Publications from EOS as a Data Analysis Node8

GIC/AIT

Activities carried out as Principal Data Analysis Node (P-DAN) for Sentinel Asia

9

GISTDAGISTDA continues to support Disaster Management

10

ICIMOD

EOR: Earthquake in Afghanistan

11

ITB

Request for EORs, Flood in Indonesia

12

JAXA

Automatic analysis of flood extent using ALOS-2 data

13

MBRSC

Sharing satellite images for EOR

14

MO

Request for EORs

15

MONRE

Summary of 2022 results through SA system activation

16

MYSA

Utilization of Sentinel Earth Obeservation Satellite Images

17

PHIVOLCS

EOR

18

RIKEN

Global high-resolution land cover mapping

19

TASA

Responses to EOR (Providing Satellite Data as Data Provider Node)20

University of

R&D for capacity development on building footprint mapping

Tokyo
21

Yamaguchi
University

Contribution VAPs for EOR activities

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)

Title

Participation for the meeting and conferenceType ofConference, Meeting

Activity
Date

2022

Sentinel Asia Steering Committee
The secretariat of the Sentinel Asia holds a Steering Committee (SC) consisting of key members every
year where discussions on Sentinel Asia activities and activity reports from the members. In this year,
SC was held on 10 and 11 October 2022 at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
ADRC reported on the ADRC's areas of responsibility (smooth communication with members andpromotion) as described in the Sentinel Asia Action Plan. ADRC also collected opinions on the calibrationsite that is under development and discussed with space agencies such as NSPO and NARL, which
cooperated in the test shooting of satellite images, and consulted with them on future measures.

The 28th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-28)
The 28th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) was held from 15 to 18
November 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was co-organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Vietnam
Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). APRSAF was established in 1993 to enhance space activities

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
in the Asia-Pacific region. Attended by space agencies, governments, and international organizations
such as the United Nations as well as companies, universities and research institutes, this forum is thelargest space-related conference in the Asia Pacific region. APRSAF has four Working Groups: the (1)Space Applications Working Group (SAWG), (2) Space Technology Working Group (STWG), (3) Space
Environment Utilization Working Group (SEUWG), and the (4) Space Education Working Group(SEWG). APRSAF participants share information about their activities and future plans for theircountries and regions in each working group. APRSAF also supports international projects designed tofind solutions to common issues such as disaster management and environmental protection.
ADRC participated in the working session of the Space Applications Working Group (SAWG) and gave
the first presentation on Sentinel Asia emergency observation requests (EOR) and future action plans.
The Sentinel Asia initiative involves the use of space-based information in the form of satellite images fordisaster management. ADRC has been tasked with the responsibility of receiving emergency observation
requests from ADRC member countries and Joint Project Team (JPT) members. ADRC gave the second
presentation on our activities for the "Demonstration Experiment using MICHIBIKI (Quasi-Zenith
Satellite System: QZSS)." This activity, which mainly targets the Asia-Pacific region, is to develop early
warnings to encourage residents to take prompt evacuation actions.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on
disaster management (AHA Centre)

Title

AHA Centre Disaster Situation Report on the AHA Centre
Response for Tropical Cyclone NORU and Tropical Cyclone
NALGAE

Type of

Utilisation of satellite data products from Sentinel ASIA for

Activity

disaster emergency situations

Date

30/09 and 04/11 2022

The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) is an intergovernmental organization which aims to facilitate cooperation and coordination among the ASEAN Member States andwith the United Nations and international organizations for disaster management and emergency response in the ASEAN
region. One of the main responsibilities for the AHA Centre is to conduct disaster monitoring and analysis in the ASEAN
Region. When a significant disaster occurs in one or more of the ASEAN Member States, following the procedure in theStandard Operating Procedure for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief andEmergency Response Operations (SASOP), in the event that one or more affected member state requests for assistance to
the AHA Centre or accepts the offer of assistance from the AHA Centre, the AHA Centre may carry out emergency response
operations. During these emergency response operations, the AHA Centre issues situation updates regarding the disaster.

In the year 2022, the AHA Centre published situation reports for Tropical Cyclone NORU in September and Tropical
Cyclone NALGAE in November. These situation reports included mapping and analyses of the flooded areas from the
Earth Observatory Singapore (EOS) through Sentinel ASIA. The AHA Centre also utilized the other products of Sentinel
ASIA for internal correspondence.

In the case of TC NALGAE in November 2022, the AHA Centre and ASEAN-ERAT Members also utilised the flood proxyby EOS for BARMM in the Philippines to develop the deployment plan. During the deployment mission, the flood proxyareas were employed to determine the deployment location for the assessments conducted by ASEAN-ERAT. During themission, the ASEAN-ERAT was divided into two (2) separate groups: ASEAN-ERAT 1 conducted the assessments in
BARMM and ASEAN-ERAT 2 conducted the assessments in Western Visayas. The detailed information about theassessment activities carried out by the ASEAN-ERAT during the response to Tropical Cyclone NALGAE can be found in
the AHA Centre Situation Updates for TC NALGAE 2022.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Situation Updates of Tropical Cyclone NORU (left) and Tropical Cyclone NALGAE (right)

Situation Update #3 of Tropical Cyclone NORU

Situation Update #1 (left) and #4 (right) of Tropical Cyclone NALGAE

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia

Title

Summary of the Analysis of the Major Disaster Events inIndonesia in 2022

Type of
Activity

EOR

Date

November – December 2022

The Indonesia Regional Support Office (RSO) UN-SPIDER, under the coordination of the Secretariat of theIndonesian Space Agency (INASA), BRIN, activated two major disaster events in 2022. First, on November 21st,
an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit Cianjur, West Java Province. The day after the catastrophe, theIndonesian National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB or NDMA) reported that 268 people died, 1,083
people were injured, 22,198 building units were destroyed, and 58,362 people were evacuated. This earthquake also
caused landslides in two separate locations. BRIN used high-resolution images and also activated an EOR to
Sentinel Asia and produced several information releases in response to the earthquake, including the location of
epicentrum, areas affected by landslides as well as the information of interferogram and LOS (line of sight)
displacement processed using ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 ( provided by JAXA).

Figure 1 the epicentrum of the earthquake

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Figure 2 the area affected by landslide (first location)

Figure 3 the area affected by landslide (second location)

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Figure 4 interferogram and LOS (line of sight) displacement

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Figure 5 the affected buildings (red and blue dots)

The second event was the eruption of Mount Semeru on December 4, 2022. According to the BNPB, there were no
fatalities, but there were 1,979 people relocated across eleven refugee camps. Because the high-resolution
imageries of Mount Semeru was mostly obscured by clouds, the analysis of the eruption was limited. BRIN
escalated the EOR activation to Disaster International Charter and received some clear satellite imageries toprovide information on Mount Semeru's changes prior to and following the eruption.

Figure 2.1 Mount Semeru before and after the eruption

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

China Earthquake Administration (CEA)

Title

Requested for the Earthquake in Shiuan

Type of

EOR activity

Activity
Date

September 2022

The China Earthquake Administration (CEA) is a government agency responsible for earthquake managementin China, as mandated by the Law of the People's Republic of China on Protecting Against and Mitigating
Earthquake Disasters of PRC under the administration of State Council.
CEA made an EOR for the Earthquake in Shiuan. We received a several products and utilized for our DRR
activities such as response on site.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
Organization

Chiba University, Japan

Title

EMERGENCY RESPONSE OF THE 2022 TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE

Type of

EOR

Activity(e.g., Conference, Workshop, Meeting, Training, EOR, Providing satellite data or VAP)

Date

24/08/2021

Mw 6.5 and Mw 6.9 earthquakes occurred in Taiwan on September 17 and 18, 2022 (UTC). Sentinel Asia activatedthis event on September 19, 2022. To estimate the crustal movements caused by the series of earthquakes, we applied
the InSAR analysis to the pre- and post-event ALOS-2 images. The pre-event image was acquired on August 7, 2022,
and the post-event image was acquired on September 18, 2022 (UTC). They were taken by the ScanSAR mode in
the ascending path with the right look. The incidence angle was 55.1°. The enlarged results are shown in the following
figures. According to the InSAR results, the west side of the fault moved more than 1 m close to the sensor direction.
The length of the fault was more than 75 km. The obtained maximum of movement was 1.6 m around the middle of thefault.

(a) Interferogram(b) Displacement

Estimated crustal displacements around the fault using InSAR analysis

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Nepal

Title

Requested for GLOF in Nepal

Type of

EOR activity

Activity
Date

September 2022

The main objective of DHM is to collect hydrological and meteorological data throughout Nepal, process thedata, publish it and disseminate the data to users such as water resource planners, developers, researchers anddata seekers for the verification of extreme hydrological and meteorological events required for different
purposes. The fundamental goal of DHM is to support for overall development of water resources of thecountry. Besides, DHM generates information of extreme hydrological and meteorological events and deliver
such information publicly in time to save life and property of people.
DHM requested for GLOF in Nepal which was hit in Manaslu area, in October 2023. Provided satellite
images and VAPs were utilized information sharing between DRR organization and made a report.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Earth Observatory Singapore (EOS), Nanyang Technological
University

Title

EOR Responses and Publications from EOS as a Data Analysis
Node

Type

of

EOR and Conference

Activity
Date

Year of 2022

2022 marks the first full year of the Earth Observatory of Singapore’s Remote Sensing Lab operating with a dedicatedteam for disaster response. We have also expanded our team with more members and remain committed in supporting
Sentinel Asia’s efforts in disaster response and recovery. We are continuously innovating and improving ouralgorithms for more efficient and accurate SAR-based flood extent and damage mapping, and are also continuously
upgrading our workflow to facilitate quicker generation of time-sensitive disaster impact maps.

Value Added Products (VAP)In 2022, we responded to 17 Emergency Observation Requests (EOR) as a Data Analysis Node (DAN) by sharing

Value Added Products (VAP), in particular Damage Proxy Maps (DPM) and Flood Proxy Maps (FPM). For
some requests, we also shared multiple versions of our DPM for the same event. For example, after sharing apreliminary DPM, we continue to work on generating and sharing updated DPMs using either time-series based
analysis and/or improved algorithms requiring further processing and analysis. All of our VAPs are also
uploaded to and available on our website: https://eos-rs-products.earthobservatory.sg/

Figure 1: List and distribution of EORs that EOS responded to in 2022.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
Notable EORs in 2022
We are always heartened to see our maps being used by and providing useful reference data for responders. For
example, the FPMs that we generated from ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 SAR data in response to Tropical Cyclone Noru
(Karding) and Tropical Cyclone Nalgae (Paeng) which made landfalls in the Philippines was used by the ASEAN
Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) in their Situation Updates [1,2].

The DPM we produced for the M5.9 earthquake in Afghanistan that occurred on 22 June 2022 (local time) which weshared with the Sentinel Asia network was also highlighted and published by the NASA Earth Observatory [3]. This
was an especially devastating earthquake which resulted in more than 1000 casualties due to a combination of factors
including but not limited to densely populated regions, non-earthquake resistant houses and heavy rains preceding
the earthquake leading to landslides which compounded the effects.

Figure 2: NASA’s Earth Observatory web publication [3] of the Damage Proxy Map (DPM) that EOS produced
in response to the M5.9 Earthquake in Afghanistan, June 2022.

Participation in APRSAF-28 and international conferences
We participated in the 28th Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) held in Vietnam in 2022. As partof the Sentinel Asia session in the Satellite Applications for Societal Benefit Working Group (SAWG), we shared
about our recent and significant responses to EORs, in particular the M7.0 Abra Earthquake and Cyclone Nalgae bothof which affected communities living in the Philippines. We also highlighted various ways in which we ensure that
our maps are accessible, which includes using contrasting colours for our maps so that they are visible to persons

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022with colour vision deficiency and providing local language translations of our map descriptions.

During the AGU Fall Meeting 2022, EOS-RS had a poster presentation titled “Disaster Response Products from
ALOS-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar Observations: Jan 2022 Tonga Eruption” [4] in which we highlighted the maps
we produced that showed the wide-reaching impacts of the largest explosion recorded by modern instruments from
Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai’s eruption.

References[1] AHA Centre (30 Sep, 2022). Situation Update No. 3 – Tropical Cyclone Noru. https://ahacentre.org/situation-update/situationupdate-no-3-tropical-cyclone-noru/ Accessed 17 Aug 2023.
[2] AHA Centre (4 Nov, 2022). Situation Update No. 1 – Tropical Cyclone Nalgae, Philippines. https://ahacentre.org/situationupdate/situation-update-no-1-tropical-cyclone-nalgae-philippines-4-november-2022/ Accessed 17 Aug 2023.
[3] NASA Earth Observatory (1 Jul, 2022). Plotting Earthquake Effects in Afghanistan.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150053/plotting-earthquake-effects-in-afghanistan Accessed 17 Aug 2023.
[4] Yun, SH., Way, L., & Chin, S.T. (Dec 2022). Disaster Response Products from ALOS-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar Observations:
Jan 2022 Tonga Eruption, Abstract GC12F-0497 presented at 2022 AGU Fall Meeting.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
Organization

Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology

Title

Activities carried out as Principal Data Analysis Node (P-DAN)
for Sentinel Asia.

Type of

Value-Added Product Generation for Disaster Activations,

Activity

Meetings

Date

01/01/2022 - 31/12/2022

1. Sentinel Asia
1.1 Activation and Value-Added Products Generation
As the Principal Data Analyses Node (P-DAN) of Sentinel Asia, the Geoinformatics Center of the Asian Institute ofTechnology (GIC-AIT) produces Value Added Products (VAP) right after disaster occurrences to support disaster
response activities of the Sentinel Asia Community.
In 2022, there were 28 emergency observation requests from 12 countries, which mostly coming from the Philippines(7 activations; 25.00%), then India (6 activations; 21.43%), Indonesia and Thailand (3 activations each; 10.71%).
Vietnam requested two activations (7.14%), while other countries requested for one activation each (3.57%) including
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan and Tonga. Out of these activations, we have created 34
VAPs from 18 activations (Table 1). Most products were created for the activation on floods, followed by floodlandslide-storm, and earthquake (Figure 1). Figure 2 shows the number of VAPs created for each of the country that
activate the Sentinel Asia. Maps of the VAPs are provided in the Appendix.
Table 1: List of Sentinel Asia activations from 1st of January 2022 to 31st of December 2022, including the date offirst created products and the number of VAPs for each of the activations.

1Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Earthquake
9%

Flood-LandslideStorm
18%

Flood
73%

Earthquake

Flood

Flood-Landslide-Storm

Figure 1: Disaster-wise VAPs created by GIC-AIT (2022/01/02-2022/12/31)

Figure 2: Country-wise VAPs created by GIC-AIT (2022/01/01-2022/12/31)

1.2 Sentinel Asia Meetings
We organized the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of Sentinel Asia at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on
10–11 October 2022, together with ADRC and JAXA. The meeting was attended by several Data Providing Nodes(DPN) and Data Analysis Nodes (DAN), including ADRC, GIC-AIT, JAXA, GISTDA, ISRO, MBRSC (online),
IWMI, PHIVOLCS, NARLabs, VAST (online), University of Tokyo, and Yamaguchi University. In this meeting, we
made a presentation on the topic of effective support for end-user with VAPs.

2

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Figure 3: Sentinel Asia members in the 21st Steering Committee Meeting

In addition to this, we also attended Steering Committee online meetings on 21 February 2022 and 20 July 2022.

2. International Disaster Charter
2.1 Project Manager (PM)When a major disaster happened, the Sentinel Asia activation can be escalated to International Disaster Charter. In
2022, we were nominated by JAXA as a Project Manager (PM) for three International Disaster Charter activations:
Flood and flash flood in Thailand (Charter activation on 19 October 2022), Tropical Storm Nalgae in the Philippines(Charter activation on 29 October 2022) and Semeru volcanic eruption in Indonesia (Charter activation on 5
December 2022). We uploaded 6 products for the Charter activation in Thailand, including one product created by
NOAA. Meanwhile, a total of 14 products were uploaded for the Charter activation in the Philippines, in which 8
products were created by UNITAR/UNOSAT and EU Geo-Information Systems. As for the Charter activation inIndonesia, we uploaded 6 products with contribution from UNITAR/UNOSAT and DLR. Maps of the products
created by GIC-AIT are provided in the Appendix.

3

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
APPENDIX
1. Flood in Thailand on 24 February 2022

4

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

2. Flood and Landslide in the Philippines on 12 April 2022

3. Flood in India on 15 May 2022

5

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

6

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
4. Flood in Indonesia on 23 May 2022

7

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
5. Flood in India on 15 June 2022

8

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
6. Flood in Bangladesh on 18 June 2022

7. Earthquake in Afghanistan on 22 June 2022

9

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
8. Flood in India on 12 July 2022

10

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
9. Flood in India on 12 July 2022

11

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
10. Earthquake in Philippines on 27 July 2022

11. Flood in Pakistan on 17 August 2022

12

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

13

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
12. Flood and Landslide in the Philippines on 25 September 2022

13. Flood and Landslide in the Vietnam on 28 September 2022

14

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

14. Flood in India on 13 October 2022

15

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

15. Flood in Thailand on 19 October 2022 (SA was escalated to International Disaster Charter)

16

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

17

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

18

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

16. Flood and Landslide in the Philippines on 29 October 2022 (SA was escalated to International Disaster
Charter)19

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

20

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

21

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

22

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
17. Earthquake in Indonesia on 21 November 2022

18. Flood and Landslide in the Philippines on 27 December 2022

23

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency(GISTDA)

Title

GISTDA continues to support Disaster Management

Type ofProviding satellite data

Activity
Date

2022

GISTDA supported the disaster management activities by provide satellite images in total of 258
images (71 Multispectral images, 186 Panchromatic images, and 1 Pan Sharpened image) as
shown in the picture below;

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency(GISTDA)

Title

GISTDA as a Co-Chair of Sentinel Asia Steering Committee

Type ofProviding comments and suggestion in the discussion of

Activity

Strategic Plan revision

Date

2022

GISTDA Deputy Executive Director is currently participating the Steering Committee as a CoChair from 2022 to 2024.
GISTDA also gives some comments/ideas/suggestions for the new actions that can help promote
Step 3 activities in the Strategic Plan such as;
1. Collaborate with International bodies like UNESCAP and UNITAR could be beneficial
for Sentinel Asia as they have mitigation programs.
2. Gathering common interest among members is crucial in order to choose activity tofocus on.
3. Sentinel Asia should focus more on attending international/regional conference topresent its activities.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD)

Title

EOR: Earthquake in Afghanistan

Type of

EOR activity

Activity
Date

June 2022

ICIMOD is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre that develops and shares research, information,and innovations to empower people in the eight regional member countries of the HKH – Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. We serve the region through information andknowledge generation and sharing to find innovative solutions to critical mountain problems. We bridge science
with policies and on-the-ground practices. We provide a regional platform where experts, planners, policy
makers, and practitioners can exchange ideas and perspectives towards the achievement of sustainable mountain
development. We facilitate knowledge exchange across the region, help customize international knowledge andtailor it to the region’s needs, and bring regional issues to the global stage.
In June 2023, we requested for the earthquake which hit in Afghanistan. ICIMOD shared provided satellite
images and VAPs to the branch office of ICIMOD and DRR international organizations. These data were helped
to an emergency response activity at affected area.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB)

Title

Request for EORs, Flood in Indonesia

Type of

RequestActivity
Date

2022

ITB submitted an EOR, flood in Indonesia, which occurred in May 2022.
We really appreciate for Sentinel Asia support. These data were used for making a report and shared to other DRR
agencies in Indonesia.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Title

Automatic analysis of flood extent using ALOS-2 data

Type ofProviding satellite data or VAP

Activity
Date

22/06/2022

JAXA has developed a fully automated analysis system to extract flood extents using JAXA's ALOS-2 data
for Sentinel Asia. We can now provide the estimated flood extent using ALOS-2 data to EOR requesters
more quickly; this information is available within 2 hours after ALOS-2 observation.
Figure 1 shows a flowchart of the algorithm for automatic flood extent estimation. This algorithm is very
simple and primitive, and it requires three types of data: (1) SAR images of pre- and post-disaster, (2) land
use and land cover data (LULC), and (3) a digital elevation model (DEM). JAXA’s ALOS-2 is a SAR
satellite, which emits microwaves and receives microwaves scattered or reflected by the ground. In flooded
areas, microwaves are specularly reflected and hardly return to the SAR satellite, resulting in smaller signal
values. Therefore, it can be basically estimated that areas with small SAR signals are flooded areas. Ouralgorithm estimates the flood extent by automatically determining the water threshold based on thebackscatter intensity of the SAR image.
JAXA began providing VAPs analyzed by this system to Sentinel Asis from a flooding case in India on 15
June 2022 (figure 2). And after compering multiple cases (e.g., figure 3-4), it was confirmed that JAXA's
analysis results are comparable to other VAPs, despite being fully automated. Currently, JAXA is working
on the implementation of a more accurate algorithm and will continue to promptly provide ALOS-2 data
and useful VAPs created using ALOS-2 data in the future.

Figure 1. Flowchart of JAXA’s algorithm

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Figure 2. Case of Flood in India on 15 June 2022

Figure 3. Comparison of VAPs by JAXA, AIT, and EOS
in the case of Storm, Flood and Landslide in Vietnam on 28 September 2022

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Figure 4. Comparison of VAPs by JAXA, AIT, and EOS
in the case of Cyclone MOCHA in Myanmar on 14 May 2023

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)

Title

Date support for EOR (2022)

Type of

Sharing satellite images for EOR

Activity
Date

2022

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), is a Dubai government organization working on the UAE National
Space Programme, which includes various earth observation satellite projects, the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates
Lunar Mission, and the UAE Astronaut Programme. MBRSC launched a new earth observation satellite, named“KHALIFSAT”, in October 2018. KHALIFSAT is one of the world’s most technologically advanced remote sensing
observation satellite – and the first 100% designed and manufactured in the UAE. MBRSC supported to provide satellite
images and VAP as following EORs in 2022.

MBRSC shared satellite images and VAPS as following disaster events;
2022-09-17: Earthquake in Taiwan on 17 September2022-09-05: Earthquake in China on 5 September2022-08-23: Flood in India on 23 August2022-08-23: Storm, Flood and Landslide in Philippines on 23 August2022-08-17: Flood in Pakistan on 17 August2022-07-27: Earthquake in Philippines on 27 July2022-07-12: Flood in Gujarat, India on 12 July2022-07-12: Flood in Andhra Pradesh, India on 12 July2022-07-07: Flood, Landslide and Storm in Vietnam on 7 July2022-06-22: Earthquake in Afghanistan on 22 June2022-06-18: Flood in Bangladesh on 18 June2022-06-15: Flood in India on 15 June2022-06-05: Volcano eruption in Philippines on 5 June2022-05-23: Coastal Flood in Indonesia on 23 May2022-05-15: Flood in India on 15 May2022-04-12: Flood and Landslide in Philippines on 12 April

2022-02-24: Flood in Thailand on 24 February2022-02-10: Oil spill in Thailand on 10 February2022-01-15: Volcano eruption in Tonga on 15 January

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

VAP [Flood in Thailand]

VAP [Volcanic eruption in Tonga]

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Manila Observatory

Title

Request for EORs

Type of

RequestActivity
Date

2022

The Manila Observatory is a research institution that does science to empower communities to take up the urgent
challenges of sustainable development and disaster risk resilience. Established in 1865 under the auspices of theJesuit mission in the Philippines, the Observatory was the official meteorological and seismological agency of thePhilippines until operations were handed over to the Philippine government in the aftermath of World War II. Since
then, as a non-profit institution, it has been bringing science to bear on various environmental concerns.
These days, the Observatory has been deploying the atmospheric and earth sciences, remote sensing technologies,
the instrumentation and data sciences to help communities to respond to the climate emergency.

We, MO requested for following disaster events in 2022. Provided VAP were shared to related DRR organizations
and institutions.


Flood and Landslide in Philippines on 12 April

Storm, Flood and Landslide in Philippines on 23 August

Storm, Flood and Landslide in Philippines on 29 October

Flood and Landslide in Philippines on 27 December

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Department of national remote sensing – VietNam Ministry ofnatural resources and environment

Title

Summary of 2022 results through SA system activation

Type of

EOR

Activity
Date

07/07/2022: Monitoring flash floods in Bao Lam district, Cao
Bang province, Vietnam.
28/09/2022: Monitoring flooded areas in Thua Thien Hue
province, Vietnam

07/07/2022:
On the night of July 5, 2022, in Pac Mau town, Bao Lam district, Cao Bang province, heavy rain caused
flash floods, leaving 4 people missing.
Upon receiving information about the disaster in Pac Mau town, Bao Lam district, Cao Bang province, theCenter for Monitoring Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change (under the National Remote Sensing
Department) activated the Sentinel Asia system to receive satellite images for flash flood monitoring.
After activation, the Sentinel Asia system provided the following types of satellite images:
 02 CARTOSAT-2E optical satellite image with numbers 223809811 and 223809821, taken on July 11,2022, provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, Govt.
of India; 02 ALOS radar satellite images taken on June 15, 2022 (before the disaster) with the number
ALOS2435303150-220615 and July 13, 2022 (after the disaster) with the number ALOS2439443150220713 provided by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); 02 FORMOSAT-5 optical satellite images with numbers FS5_G000_MS_L4UTM_20220710_034003,
taken on July 11, 2022, and FS5_G000_MS_L4UTM_20220714_033947 taken on July 14, 2022,
provided by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA);
After analyzing the available satellite image data, we hand over these satellite images to the Commanding
Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to assist
in the search for missing people.

28/09/2022:
Storm Neru caused heavy rain in Thua Thien Hue province on September 28, 2022, with a rainfall of over
200mm. It causes the water level of the Huong River to rise and causes flooding in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam.
Upon receiving information about the heavy rain situation in Thua Thien Hue province, the Center for
Monitoring Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (under the National Remote Sensing Department)
activated the Sentinel Asia system to receive satellite images for flood monitoring.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
After activation, the Sentinel Asia system provided the following types of satellite images:
 01 IRS-R2 optical satellite image with number 225875511 taken on September 27, 2022, provided by
the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, Govt. of India;
 02 ALOS radar satellite images taken on September 2, 2022 (before the disaster) with the number
ALOS2446983300-220902 and September 30, 2022 (after the disaster) with the number
ALOS2451123300-220930 provided by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA);
 03 FORMOSAT-5 optical satellite image with numbers FS5_G000_MS_L4UTM_20210915_035300
and FS5_G001_MS_L4UTM_20210915_035304 taken on September 15, 2021 (before the disaster),and September 30, 2022, with number FS5_G000_MS_L4UTM_20220930_033937 provided by the
Taiwan Space Agency (TASA);
After analyzing the available satellite images, the Center for Monitoring of Environmental Resources andClimate Change decided to use ALOS satellite images to process and extract information about flooded areas.
The analysis results of the flooded area from the ALOS image dated September 30, 2022, are included in the
database to establish a quick monitoring map of flood areas:

Flood areas on September 30, 2022, in Thua Thien Hue province

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

The results of analysis and statistics from ALOS satellite images show that Huong Thuy town, Thua Thien- Hue province has the largest flooded area of 4652.4 ha:

No

Name of district

Name of province

Area (Ha)1

Hue

Thua Thien Hue

9.5

2

Huong Tra

Thua Thien Hue

1619.2

3

Huong Thuy

Thua Thien Hue

4652.4

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
Organization

Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA)

Title

Utilization of Sentinel Earth Obeservation Satellite Images

Type of

Forest Fire & Flood Monitoring Projects

Activity
Date

2022

1) Forest Fire Information System (ForFIS)The Sentinel-2 satellite is one of the satellites used in for detecting fire-prone areas,
especially for validating daily hotspots clusters generated through thermal infrared satellite
images. With a high revisit frequency of every 5 days, it enables monitoring of fire-prone
areas across Malaysia and Indonesia, particularly during the dry season when large-scale
forest burning episodes occur, contributing to transboundary haze due to the Southwest
Monsoon around May-September each year. The satellite's Infrared and Short Wave Infrared
bands allow for the periodic analysis of burn scars and land use changes caused by fires,
especially in peatland areas with high fire potential. The optimal resolution of 10m to 20m
allows detailed and precise extraction of various information, such as fire risk, accessibility,and percentage of destruction, which can be utilized by management agencies for moretargeted and efficient firefighting efforts.

Active fire detected in Nenasi, Pahang using Sentinel 2 satellite image dated 4 July 2022

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

2) Monsoon Flood Information and Logistics System (eBanjir)
For several years, the Monsoon Flood Information and Logistics System has been utilising
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the Sentinel satellite for water extraction. Thisapproach is particularly useful during monsoon seasons when optical sensors struggle topenetrate cloud cover and accurately delineate flooded areas in near real-time. The Sentinel
SAR data plays a crucial role in monitoring emergencies, significantly enhancing theeffectiveness of early warning systems. It aids in determining evacuation necessities andassessing the potential impact of future flooding. The Sentinel SAR data, readily accessibleon the satellite platform, offers global coverage and is a cost-free data source. Additionally,it has proven to be a valuable supplementary data source, complementing other dataacquired by the agency.

Potential flooded area in Melaka Tengah using Sentinel SAR Satellite Imagery dated 3 January 2022

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
Organization

Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA)

Title

Participation in Committee on Earth Observation Satellites(CEOS)

Type of

Plenary Meeting

Activity

Working Group on Disaster Meeting

Date

2022

On 4th - 6th October 2022, MYSA participated in the 18th Meeting of the CEOS Working Group on
Disasters virtually. As a new member of the Working Group, MYSA presented on how Malaysia
benefitted from remote sensing satellite imagery in disasters management and mitigation suchas flood, forest fire, landslide and haze. During the discussion session entitled EO, Big Data andMachine Learning, Philippe Bally of ESA presented on how Sentinel data lead the way of large
data flow that needs to be strategically handled.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
The 36th CEOS Plenary was held from the 29th November 2022 – 1st December 2022 withparticipation from MYSA representative virtually. There were many discussions related to theusage of Sentinel 1 – 6 on remote sensing applications and reports on numerous projects doneby respective Working Groups.

2022 CEOS PLENARY AGENDA
Day 1: Wednesday, November 30
Location: Atlantique Room
30 minArrival / Teleconference Open

beforestart
time
Session 1: Welcome and Core Business (09:00 – 10:50)

1.1

09:00

Welcome, Opening Remarks, Agency Introductions, and summary of objectives (CEOS Chair Team)[Slides]

20 minSurface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission Pre-Launch Update (Rosemary Morrow,
1.2

09:20

CNES; Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, NASA) [Slides]
●

1.3

09:50

1.4

09:55

Principal Investigator and project team presentations

CEOS Chair Team Review of Matters for Decision or Endorsement (CEOS Chair Team) [Slides]
Agency Nomination for 2024 CEOS Chair (Eric Laliberté, CSA) (For Endorsement) [Letter]●

30 min

5 min

10 minDiscussion and decision (5 min)CEOS Executive Officer (CEO) Report (Marie-Claire Greening) [Slides]
1.5

10:05

●

CEOS Organisation, Roles and Responsibilities●

2022-2024 CEOS Work Plan Progress

15 minCEOS Executive Officer Continuity (CEOS Chair Team) [Slides]
1.6

10:20

●

Decision: Long-term and equitable plan for CEOS Executive Officer continuity (For

15 minEndorsement) [Slides]
Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat Report (Laurent Durieux) [Slides]
1.7

10:35

10 min●

GEO’s partnership with CEOS on global action for local impact

10:50: Group Photo + BreakSession 2: Climate and Carbon (11:20 – 13:10)

30 minSentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
SIT Chair Climate & Carbon Priority Synthesis Report (ESA SIT Chair Team) [Slides]
1.8

11:20

1.9

11:40

1.10

12:00

●

CEOS Global Stocktake Strategy Action Status●

CEOS GST Data Portal Updates

GHG Roadmap Update (Mark Dowell, EC-JRC) [Slides]

20 min20 minAFOLU Roadmap (Ben Poulter, NASA; Remote) [Slides]
20 min●New developments in advancing the AFOLU Roadmap

CEOS Cooperation with IMEO (ESA SIT Chair Team) [Slides] [IMEO-MARS Video]
1.11

12:20

20 min
●

1.12

12:40

Update on CEOS Agency contributions and actions required

New GCOS Implementation Plan and Satellite Supplement (Anthony Rea, WMO) [Slides]

10 min

CEOS/CGMS Working Group on Climate (WGClimate) (Albrecht von Bargen, DLR) [Slides]

1.13

12:50

●

COP27 and SBSTA Report●

ECV Inventory●

GCOS Implementation Plan update●

Recent activities●

Decision: Nomination for WGClimate Vice Chair (Wenying Su of NASA; Letter) (For

20 minEndorsement)

1.14

13:10

Outcomes of the UNOOSA report which has mapped the activities of international organisations
doing both space and climate activities (Beth Greenaway, UKSA)
13:15: Lunch

5 min

85 minSession 3: CEOS Working Groups and Virtual Constellations (14:40 – 17:05)
Working Group on Calibration & Validation (WGCV) (Akihiko Kuze, JAXA) [Slides]
1.15

14:40

●

Decision: Nomination for WGCV Vice Chair (Cody Anderson of USGS; Letter) (For

20 minEndorsement)
●

1.16

15:00

Decision: Updated WGCV Terms of Reference [Document] (For Endorsement)

Working Group on Information Systems & Services (WGISS) (Makoto Natsuisaka, JAXA; Remote)[Slides]

20 minWorking Group on Capacity Building and Data Democracy (WGCapD) (Jorge Del Rio Vera, UNOOSA)
1.17

15:20

[Slides]
●

1.18

15:40

16:00: Break

20 minEOTEC DevNet Sustainability Plan (For Information)

Working Group on Disasters (WGDisasters) (Helene DeBoissezon, CNES) [Slides]

20 min20 minSentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022
Virtual Constellation Synthesis Report (ESA SIT Chair Team) [Slides]
1.19

16:20

●

Summary highlights of progress and issues from all CEOS Virtual Constellations●

LSI-VC GEOGLAM Subgroup: GEOGLAM Capacity Development Guidance Document

35 min(For Information)
Atmospheric Composition Virtual Constellation (AC-VC) (Ben Veihelmann, ESA) [Slides]
1.20

16:55

●

Decision: Consider endorsement of the whitepaper: “Monitoring Surface PM2.5: An

10 minInternational Constellation Approach to Enhancing the Role of Satellite Observations”(For Endorsement)
Adjournment of Day 1

Hosted Dinner
Location: Casino Municipal
19:00 – 19:30: Welcome Cocktail
19:30: Dinner

17:05

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Day 2: Thursday, December 1
Location: Atlantique Room
Joint CEOS & Oceania Geospatial Symposium (OGS) Special Session
08:00 – 09:00

Information Note●

Demonstration of CEOS activities applicable to Oceania and the Pacific Islands●

CEOS & GEO Collaboration●

Communication of needs from Oceania Geospatial Symposium (OGS) members●

Understanding observation requirements and user structures in Oceania and the Pacific Islands●

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Location: Atlantique Room
30 minbeforeTeleconference Open
start
time
Session 4: New Space and Related Topics (09:00 – 10:20)
SIT Chair ‘New Space’ Synthesis Report (ESA SIT Chair Team) [Slides]
2.1

09:00

20 min
●

2.2

09:20

2.3

09:30

Key findings and outcomes from SIT-37 and SIT Technical Workshop 2022

SEO Report on the SatSummit 2022 Conference (Brian Killough, SEO/NASA) [Slides]

10 min

Proposal for a ‘New Space’ Task Team (ESA SIT Chair Team)
20 min●Decision: Terms of Reference for a CEOS ‘New Space’ Task Team (For Endorsement)

CEOS Standards Organisation Engagement (Andreia Siqueira, LSI-VC Co-Lead) [Slides]
●
2.4

09:50

Decision: Action for CEOS to prepare a way forward for increased coordination on
standards organisations engagement (For Endorsement) [Slides]●

20 minUpdate on CEOS involvement in the OGC ARD Standards Working Group (For
Information)

CEOS Interoperability Framework (LSI-VC) [Slides]
2.5

10:10

●

Decision: Action for CEOS to develop the concept of a CEOS Interoperability
Framework with other interested parties (e.g., WGISS, WGCV) and to come back witha concrete proposal for SIT-38 consideration. (For Endorsement) [Slides]

20 minSentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022●

LSI-VC Interoperability Task Team●CEOS Common Dictionary

10:30: Break

20 minSession 5: Sustainable Development, Biodiversity, Oceans(10:50 – 12:20)

CEOS Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Coordination Team (Brian Killough, CEOS SEO)
[Slides]
2.6

10:50
●

2022 review●

2023+ deliverables, activities, resources

20 minCEOS & Biodiversity (Marie-Josée Bourassa, CSA; Gary Geller, NASA/JPL) [Slides]
●
2.7

11:10

Decision: CEOS Ecosystem Extent Task Team Terms of Reference (For Endorsement)[CEOS Ecosystem Extent Task Team TOR V20221115]●

20 minDiscussion: Draft proposal for the Ecosystem Extent Task Team activity [Ecosystem
Extent Task Team draft proposal]

Coordination of CEOS Ocean-related Activities (Ivan Petiteville, ESA SIT Chair Team) [Slides]
2.8

11:30

●

Decision: Extension of the Ocean Coordination Group for another 6-12 months (For

20 minEndorsement) [Slides]
COVERAGE (Vardis Tsontos, NASA/JPL) [Slides]
2.9

11:50

10 min●Longer-term sustainability of this CEOS initiative (For Information)

Coastal Observations Applications Services and Tools (COAST) Ad Hoc Team (Paul DiGiacomo,
2.10

12:00

NOAA) [Slides]●

20 minDecision: 1-year extension of the COAST Ad Hoc Team [PDF][DOC] (For Endorsement)

12:30: Lunch

90 minSession 6: CEOS Agency Reports (14:00 – 15:30)
CEOS Agency Reports (5 minutes each, For Information):

2.11

14:00

●

UKSA (Beth Greenaway)●

NIER (Jaehoon Jeong)●

CNES (Selma Cherchali)●

FAO (Matieu Henry)●

NOAA (Stephen Volz)●

GISTDA (Tanita Suepa)

90 minSentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022●

NASA (Julie Robinson)●

ESA (Simonetta Cheli)●

GA (Andreia Siqueira)●

CSIRO (Alex Held)●

EUMETSAT (Phil Evans)●

USGS (Tim Stryker)●

UNOOSA (Jorge Del Rio Vera)●DLR (Klaus Schmidt)●

CSA (Eric Laliberté)●

JAXA (Takeshi Hirabayashi)●

European Commission (Mauro Facchini)●

NSO (Joost Carpay)

Break and CEOS 2022 Year in Review Video

30 minSession 7: CEOS Leadership Transitions and Closing Business (16:00 – 17:30)
2.12

16:00

2022 CEOS Chair Priorities – Report on Outcomes (CEOS Chair Team) [Slides]

15 minCEOS Systems Engineering Office (SEO) Annual Report (Brian Killough, SEO/NASA) [Slides]
2.13

2.14

16:15

16:25

2.15

16:35

2.16

16:45

●

SEO activities●

CEOS communications

CEOS Missions, Instruments and Measurements (MIM) Database Report (Ivan Petiteville, ESA)

10 min10 min[Slides]
CEOS Chair Transition (CNES 2022 CEOS Chair Team and GISTDA 2023 CEOS Chair Team) [Slides]

10 minGISTDA 2023 CEOS Chair Presentation (Pakorn Apaphant, GISTDA 2023 CEOS Chair) [Slides]
15 min●Priority themes

Summary Presentation / Review of Session Outcomes (CNES 2022 CEOS Chair Team) [Slides]
2.17

17:00

20 min
●

2.18

17:20

Review of Preliminary Action and Decision Record

Closing Remarks (CNES 2022 CEOS Chair Team) [Slides]

Adjournment of Day 2 and the 36th CEOS Plenary

Meetings Open Only to the CEOS Secretariat and CEOS Troika Members
Location: Atlantique Room

18:00: 301st CEOS Secretariat Meeting (SEC-301)
Led by the 2023 CEOS Chair

10 min
17:30

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

18:30: CEOS Troika
Led by the 2023 CEOS Chair

19:00: Adjournment

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology(PHIVOLCS)

Title

EOR

Type of

EOR

Activity
Date

June and July/2022

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) is a service institute of the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) that is principally mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami and other related geotectonic phenomena.
Our vision is;
A leading global science and technology institution of empowered men and women helping develop communities
safe from and resilient to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and other related hazards
And our mission is;
We provide timely, quality and socially-inclusive information and services for warning, disaster preparedness andmitigation. This we do through the development and application of technologies for the monitoring and accurate
prediction of, and determination of areas prone to, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and other related hazards,
and gender-responsive capacity enhancement for comprehensive disaster risk reduction.

In the framework of Sentinel Asia, PHIVOLCS requested for following disaster events in 2022. Provided VAP were
utilized for our DRR activities.


Volcano eruption in Philippines on 5 June

Earthquake in Philippines on 27 July

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Geoinformatics Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence
Project (AIP)

Title

Global high-resolution land cover mapping

Type of

Research and development for data preparedness

Activity(e.g., Conference, Workshop, Meeting, Training, EOR, Providing satellite data or VAP)

Date

Through the year in 2022

The Geoinformatics Team at RIKEN AIP has created OpenEarthMap (https://open-earth-map.org/), agroundbreaking benchmark dataset for high-resolution global land cover mapping. OpenEarthMap comprises 5000
manually annotated aerial and satellite images, featuring detailed 8-class land cover labels, and offers a groundsampling distance of 0.25-0.5m. This extensive dataset covers 97 regions across 44 countries on 6 continents.
OpenEarthMap has enabled the development of the world's first globally effective model, erasing regional data
disparities and enhancing performance by 15-20% in regions like Asia, Africa, and South America, where highresolution data was previously scarce. Models trained on OpenEarthMap exhibit impressive generalization
capabilities worldwide and can be readily applied in various applications, including disaster damage assessment.
The following figure shows mapping results over Islahiye, Turkey, both before and after the earthquakes in Turkey
and Syria in February 2023.

Land cover mapping results over Islahiye, Turkey, before and after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February
2023 obtained by the OpenEarthMap model.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Taiwan Space Agency (TASA)

Title

Satellite Imagery Support to Sentinel Asia

Type of

Responses to EOR (Providing Satellite Data as Data Provider

Activity

Node)

Date

Year of 2022

During 2022, TASA has contributed to the Sentinel Asia activities as Data Provider Node. NSPO has successfully
responded to Emergency Observation Requests (EOR’s) pertaining to 9 countries ranging from East Asia to South
Asia in 21 events with FORMOSAT-5 satellite datasets comprising of pre- and post-disaster events. All thesesatellite image products were provided right after we acquired cloudless images. According to the statistics,
FORMOSAT-5 satellite image products supported various types of applications such as flood and earthquake relief.
At the same time, it has also given disaster response assistance to Philippines, India, Thailand and Indonesia for
more than one event. It’s worth noting that TASA also provided Value-Added Products to assist stakeholders in the
rescue, which enabled decision makers to understand the extent and scope of the disaster in intuitive manner.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Fig 1 TASA Support to Sentinel Asia Emergency Observation Requests during 2022

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Academia Sinica Grid Computing Center (ASGC) and TASA

Title

Sentinel Asia JPT-3 Cloud Services

Type ofCloud Server Service

Activity
Date

Year of 2022

Academia Sinica Grid Computing Center (ASGC) and TASA collaboration with Sentinel Asia Tech Team,supported Sentinel Asia Emergency Observation (EO) online workflow and the integration of WebGIS, EO
pipeline, data access of DAN and DPN, as well as distributed cloud platform since Feb. 2020. Reliability of the
JPT-3 cloud services is higher than 99.9% on average in year 2022 and 174.4 GB data is downloaded by about 227
accesses from Sentinel Asia members and applications on a monthly average during 2022. The total download datascale has been more than 3.14Terabyte (TB) from Jan. 2022 to June. 2023. NSPO together with Sentinel Asia TechTeam reviewed the status of SA services and technical issues periodically. In the future, TASA will work with the
SA technical team to advance the values of satellite resources on disaster management and their applications bydesigning and prototyping spatiotemporal infrastructures such as Open Data Cube, token-based authentication andauthorization infrastructure.

Fig 2 Summary of Sentinel Asia JPT-3 Cloud Services during the period 2022 to 2023.

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

TASA and JAXATitle

APRSAF-28 Side Event: Expanding Open Data Cube (ODC)
Applications in Asia-Pacific Region

Type of

Workshop and Conference meeting

Activity
Date

Year of 2022

TASA hosted a side event on topic of Expanding Open Data Cube (ODC) Applications in Asia-PacificRegion in APRSAF-28. The objective of this Side Event is to share various countries/regions development status,
and to exchange experiences in applying Open Data Cube (ODC) to different societal benefit areas. Invited
speakers are from Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, Vietnam, and international organizations: Committee
on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and Asian Development Bank (ADB). In this event, Australia, Taiwan,
Thailand, and Vietnam shared their experiences on the national level development as well as applications to SDG of
Data Cube. International Organizations of CEOS and ADB presented the development of Open Data Cube andrecent Remote Sensing projects from a global point of view. There are approximately 30 participants from Taiwan,
Japan, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, and U.S. This event concluded with a concept to establish a regional Data
Cube as an infrastructure to provide integration platforms for long-term and large-scale land management base on
multi-sensor resource. It help to validate the results of environmental protection and monitoring. This concept
facilitates a starting point for the APRSAF community, especially Sentinel Asia and SAFE within SAWG, toconsider the feasibility of a joint effort. Therefore, this event facilitates as the first step in establishing ODC for
future APRSAF initiatives. In this cooperation platform, we could work together towards contributions in SDGs.

Fig 3. Group photo of Side Event: Expanding Open Data Cube (ODC) Applications in Asia-Pacific Region

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

University of Tokyo

Title

R&D for capacity development on building footprint mapping

Type of

Research and development for data preparedness

Activity(e.g., Conference, Workshop, Meeting, Training, EOR, Providing satellite data or VAP)

Date

Through the year of 2022

Building footprint maps are base information for disaster risk assessment and emergency response planning. It is
important to have up-to-date building footprint maps for disaster preparedness. We conducted research anddevelopment on operational production of building footprint maps with satellite data provided by the Sentinel Aisa
partners. The collaboration scheme was designed as below, in which participating institutes will have opportunities
of capacity development on satellite-based building footprint mapping for better preparedness.
End users
JAXA /SA Secretariat

Interface &promotion

SA’s data sharing platform

University of Tokyo

Participating institute

Coordination
Data provider
ComputingproviderSupervision

Codes &
algorithms

High
performancecomputingContribution

Project leader – postdoc
or senior associate

Deep learning platform
Contribution
Crowdsourcing platform
Data
processing

Data
cloud

Satellite data storage

Instructions andmanagement
Juniors or student
internships

Scheme of capacity development on the building footprint mapping for data preparedness
To facilitate the scheme with the Sentinel Asia partners, we used FORMOSAT-2 satellite data to demonstrate thebuilding footprint mapping with the support of data provision by NSPO. The demonstration is performed for thesouthern region of Taiwan and Bangkok in Thailand. The demonstration outputs fairly captured built-up areas in the
broad scales while missed details such as small buildings. The demonstration proofed potential usefulness of thebuilding footprint maps in disaster operations as well as capacity development on data preparedness.

Demonstration outputs for Bangkok, Thailand

Sentinel Asia Activity Report in 2022

Organization

Center for Research and Application for Satellite Remote
Sensing, Yamaguchi University

Title

Contribution VAPs for EOR activities

Type of

EOR activity (Earthquake in Indonesia)

Activity
Date

November 2022

Yamaguchi University, Center for Research and Application of Satellite Remote Sensing, was established in
February 2017. There are 4 missions at this center; (1) to promote world-class research in satellite remotesensing, (2) to cultivate human resources capable of promoting a wide range of research in satellite remotesensing and space technology, (3) to contribute to disaster information analysis and improve public safety andsecurity, and (4) to promote local industry and create new industry/business for space utilization technology.
Yamaguchi university provided VAPs for the event of earthquake which hit in November 2022.

PROVINCIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITYREHABILITATION DEPARTMENT
GOVERNMENT OF SINDH
PLOT NO. 26-C, MAIN KHAYABAN-E-JAMI,
DHA PHASE–VII, KARACHI.
Phone: 021-99332003-5, Fax: 021-99332007

Subject:

Sentinel Asia Activity: Flood in Pakistan (2022)

With reference to subject email, answers to your questions asked are appended below;
How did you use these data for your DRR activities?"- emergency response?
Answer: Provincial Disaster Management Authority Sindh (PDMA Sindh) has alreadydeveloped disaster Management Information System (DMIS), which is a geospatial
database with all pertinent spatial and non-spatial layers used in hazard, exposure,vulnerability and risk mapping. This database also covers population and population
density, critical infrastructure and elements at risk. As rains during 2022 were
unprecedented and very high above the normal therefore lives and livelihood resourceswere jeopardized and devastation was extensive, extended over almost entire province.
In this case preliminary assessment on possible losses and damages was essential toplan, organize and execute disaster response. The inundation maps shared by Sentinel
Asia were overlayed on DMIS geospatial data to determine:o Calculate inundated areao Initial assessment of affected cropso Initial assessment of affected villageso Initial assessment of affected critical infrastructure and elements at risko Initial assessment of affected population
Further the data shared by sentinel Asia was used for monitoring and situationalawareness.
- sharing with other organizations?
Answer: With the assistance of data provided by Sentinel Asia, the Provincial Emergency
Operation Center (PEOC) developed and prepared flood inundation maps, initial damage
assessment maps, thematic losses and damage maps and other valuable products. These
maps were prepared for entire duration of emergency situation and were published onPage 1 of 2

PDMA Sindh website for easy accessibility and mass distribution. These maps were usedby different stakeholders and partners for organizing search, rescue and relief operation.
- making report to sharing information?
Answer: During the entire course of disaster, disaster response, disaster need assessment,
and recovery internal and external briefings and well as reporting was supported withmaps and geospatial data. These briefing and reports were prepared for multiple levels ofmanagement for informed decision making

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