** October 2021 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Dr. Raj Kumar, Outstanding Scientist, Director, National Remote Sensing Centre(NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
3. [Event] Sentinel Asia Webinar
4. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
5. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 28 October, 2021)(1) Tropical Storm Dianmu Flood in Thailand (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000147-THA)
Tropical storm Dianmu caused flood in 32 provinces in Thailand. According to the Bangkok
Post, as of 5 October, eight people died and one remains missing.
(https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2192803/storm-dianmu-floods-linger-in-18provinces)
The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) made an EOR
to Sentinel Asia on 29 September. Among DPNs, the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Applied
Research Laboratories (NARL) provided data. Among DANs, the Asian Institute ofTechnology (AIT) provided its VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia isavailable at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211001TH.html

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-4) provided by NARL

Value-Added Product by AIT(2) Flood, Landslides and Storm in Vietnam (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000158-PHL)
Heavy rain was expected in northern and central Vietnam. Tuoi Tre News reported the risk offlashfloods and landslides.
(https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20211006/tropical-depression-to-bring-downpours-to-central-vietnam/63434.html)
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia
on 7 October. Among DPNs, JAXA and GISTDA provided data. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211006VN.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA(3) Flood and Landslides in the Philippines (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000158-PHL)
Tropical storm Maring (Kompasu) made landfall in the vicinity of Fuga Island, the Philippines,on 11 October and crossed the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). According to CNN, theNational Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council announced that the death toll was atleast 23 as of 17 October.
(https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/10/16/Maring-death-toll-October-16.html)
The Manila Observatory (MO) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 13 October. Among DPNs,
JAXA, GISTDA, ISRO and NARL provided data. Information on the latest response by Sentinel
Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211012PH.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

(4) Typhoon Kompasu in Vietnam (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000158-PHL)
After passing over the Philippines, Typhoon Kompasu (Maring) approached Vietnam. According
to the AHA Centre, the National Disaster Management Authority (VNDMA) reported that 2,144
houses were damaged and 2,669 ha of rice fields, 1,042 ha of other crops and 3,044 livestock
were lost.
(https://ahacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FlashUpdate_03_20Oct2021-TCKOMPASU-PHLVNMTHL.pdf)
MONRE made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 10 October in anticipation of the disaster. Among
DPNs, GISTDA and ISRO provided data. In addition, NARL planned to provide its data.
Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211012PH.html

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO
(5) Flood, Landslides and Storm in India (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000161-IND)
Heavy rain over Kerala state in India caused landslides and floods. CNN reported that at least 27
people were killed.
(https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/18/india/kerala-rains-flooding-intl-hnk/index.html)
ISRO made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 17 October. Among DPNs, GISTDA and JAXA provided
data. In addition, NARL planned to provide its data. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211016IN.html

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

(6) Volcanic eruption in Japan (GLIDE Number: VO-2021-000163-JPN)
A volcanic eruption was observed at Mt. Aso in southwestern Japan on 20 October. Kyodo
News reported that Mt. Aso's volcanic alert level was raised to 3 on a scale of 5, with people
urged not to approach the mountain.
(https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/10/fcaf30350266-urgent-mt-aso-in-southwest-japanerupts-alert-level-raised.html)
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 20 October.
Among DPNs, ISRO, GISTDA and JAXA provided data. In addition, MBRSC and NARL
planned to provide their data.. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available
at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211020JP.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA
(7) Flood and Landslides in Vietnam (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000166-VNM)
From 22 to 25 October, heavy rainfall was recorded in Vietnam, causing widespread floods.
VNExpress reported that 11,000 houses were submerged, one person was killed and threeothers were missing.
(https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/record-rainfall-deluges-central-vietnam-province4376382.html)
MONRE made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 25 October. Among DPNs, ISRO provided data. In
addition, GISTDA planned to provide its data. Information on the latest response by Sentinel
Asia is available at the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20211020JP.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Dr. Raj Kumar, Outstanding Scientist, Director, National Remote Sensing Centre(NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Dr. Raj Kumar
Outstanding Scientist
Director, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
has been one of the leading supporters of the Sentinel Asia community so far and is strengthening
its support to Sentinel Asia. The centre provides satellite observation for Emergency Observation
Requests (EORs) from members of Sentinel Asia and contributes to the operation of Sentinel
Asia. The Sentinel Asia secretariat interviewed Dr. Raj Kumar, Outstanding Scientist andDirector, NRSC, to introduce the centre’s activities regarding Sentinel Asia.
Dr. Raj Kumar currently leads a team of scientists and engineers from various disciplines, with amandate of establishing ground stations, generation of data products, dissemination to users,
development of techniques for remote sensing applications including disaster management
support, geospatial services for good governance and capacity building for professionals, faculty
and students. His research is mainly focused on effective utilization of space technology,
especially microwave remote sensing, for studies of ocean, atmosphere and climate to benefit
society. He also leads the Indian Science Team for NASA-ISRO joint mission (NISAR) as Project
Scientist.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
ISRO is a major space agency and its brilliant achievements in recent years are well known. At
the same time, its large scale makes it difficult to understand the roles of each department. Can
you tell us about the role of NRSC, an ISRO core division, in the context of disaster management?
Dr. Raj Kumar
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) is one of the major centres of Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space (DOS), and has a mandate of establishing groundstations for receiving satellite data, data product generation, dissemination to users, developmentof techniques for remote sensing applications including disaster management support, geospatialservices for good governance and capacity building for professionals, faculty and students.
ISRO has established the Decision Support Centre (DSC) at NRSC under ISRO’s Disaster
Management Support (DMS) Programme. It is a single-window delivery mechanism of spaceand aerial-based information to accommodate various needs during all phases of disasters in India.
The DSC provides space-based inputs in near real time regarding various disasters to the central
and state DMS organizations in the country. These products are being used for relief and rescue
operations, damage assessment and as input in disaster management by state and central DMS
organisations in the field. NRSC, ISRO also provides Indian remote sensing satellite data support
to various Emergency Observation Requests (EORs) received through Sentinel Asia and theInternational Charter regarding various disasters worldwide. We are also actively involved incapacity building programmes on “Space Technology Utilisation for Disaster Management and
DRR” in the country and in Sentinel Asia region.
ISRO has established the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) at the behestof the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), India, which is a state-of-art facility. NDEM is a multiscale geospatial database repository coupled with decision support system tools at a national level.
It is a unique, homogenous database that serves the entire country with essential databaseelements for addressing emergency/disaster management with a structured framework and multiinstitutional participation to assist disaster managers of India. NDEM disseminates all disasterspecific products via a geospatial platform named “Bhuvan” in near real time, in addition tomaintaining a disaster-specific historical database.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
The Sentinel Asia secretariat appreciates ISRO’s contribution to Sentinel Asia as a Data Provider
Node (DPN) for more than a decade now. Could you introduce some of NRSC’s major activities
in recent years relating to Sentinel Asia, including EOR response?
Dr. Raj Kumar
ISRO has been part of all of Sentinel Asia’s three-step activities and has been contributing tovarious EORs by providing IRS-series satellite datasets since its inception. Apart from satellite
datasets, NRSC/ISRO has volunteered the role of Data Analysis Node (DAN) to extend its
expertise in generating value-added products and special reports for Cyclone “NARGIS”(Myanmar) – 2008, Pakistan floods – 2010, Japan Tsunami – 2011, Sri Lanka Floods – 2017 &
2018, Indonesia Tsunami – 2018.
In recent years, 2018-2021 (until August), about 67 EORs were supported with the help of 159
Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite datasets in addressing various disasters in member

countries. These datasets include data from ResourceSat series, RISAT-1, Cartosat series, etc.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
In addition to your contributions as a DPN, we appreciate your engagement as a Sentinel Asia
Steering Committee (SC) member. In January 2020, ISRO hosted for the first time an SC meetingin Hyderabad. Could you tell us about your motivation or background reason for hosting thismeeting and the result?
Dr. Raj Kumar
The 10th Steering Committee (SC) meeting was hosted by ISRO for the first time during 21 and22 January, 2020, in Hyderabad in close association with the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA) as the Sentinel Asia Secretariat. About 17 international participants from SC
member organizations participated in the meeting.
ISRO hosted this SC meeting in understanding of the requirements of Sentinel Asia member
countries to gain exposure regarding the technologies utilized in addressing disaster management
in respective countries and to have open-ended discussions on various aspects of disastermanagement. This has benefited both ISRO as well as Sentinel Asia in general in terms of theeffectiveness of its approach to the Step 3 disaster risk reduction phase of Sentinel Asia. The
following important actions emerged during the course of the meeting;• Improving Sentinel Asia operations from the viewpoint of DPN and DAN.
• Strengthening user interaction within the Sentinel Asia community.
• Capacity building programmes on various disaster-specific themes were proposed after
thorough discussions, and ISRO proposed to organize/contribute regarding threeprogrammes: Drought Risk Management, Spatial Flood Early Warning, and Emergency
Response Mapping and Crisis Management• Existing Sentinel Asia working groups and related roles and responsibilities, as well asrecommendations for future directions• Strategies on the private sector’s involvement in Sentinel Asia activities were discussed
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
It is a significant achievement in Sentinel Asia Step 3 that international collaboration to operate
OPTEMIS developed by GISTDA with other members was realized. We would like to aim forthe next level of collaboration among systems used by other members. In this regard, as you
mentioned earlier, we understand that NRSC launched and operates the sophisticated “Bhuvan”
platform. Could you tell us more about it and advise on possibilities for its use by Sentinel Asia
members?

Dr. Raj Kumar
Bhuvan is an Indian geo-platform of ISRO. It provides a host of wide-ranging services coveringvisualization of multi-date, multi-platform, multi-sensor satellite data & thematic maps, queryand analysis, free data & products download, near-real-time support to disaster services, mobile
apps for crowdsourcing, and diverse geospatial applications, for utilization by citizens andgovernment agencies. It serves as a Geospatial Governance platform by hosting applications ofvarious ministries/departments of central/state governments for planning, monitoring andevaluation.
One of the important components of Bhuvan is disaster services. Disaster Management
Information Support services are hosted on Bhuvan for six types of natural disasters: Flood,
Cyclone, Drought, Forest Fire, Earthquake and Landslide. Information support ranging fromprediction, early warning, alerts and aiding decision makers for post-disaster damage assessment,
hazard zonation and rehabilitation plan. Bhuvan disseminates the information via SMS, e-mailand feeds to users. Bhuvan’s rich administrative datasets and thematic datasets besides the coredisaster ones comprise a single-window system and platform for users and decision makers torealize effective disaster mitigation and preparation plans.
All applications and services through Bhuvan are developed using open-source solutions andOpen Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant and restricted to Indian territory. The Bhuvan
framework can be customized and used for any disaster application as a collaborative effort withproper administrative arrangements by Sentinel Asia member countries. The geo-spatial databasehas to be provided by the member countries concerned. Of course, in order to induce interestsand make such active participation from the part of member countries possible and fruitful, we
will be pleased to raise awareness of Bhuvan, reaching out to the Sentinel Asia community byourselves as well and we may also discuss specific plans to customize Bhuvan in close
collaboration with member countries. Also, ISRO can provide technical support in strengthening
the existing system developed by GISTDA.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
On 19 and 20 July, 2021, ISRO organized and hosted a webinar called “Space Technology forDrought Risk Management” with IWMI, as a capacity building program with Sentinel Asia.
Among the themes, “drought” is different from other disasters in terms of time frame (speed ofprogress). How should the Sentinel Asia community tackle such “slow-onset” disasters? And
what can we expect ISRO’s contribution to be on this issue?. Could you also advise us of yourplan for future capacity building programs for Sentinel Asia, if any?
Dr. Raj Kumar
The occurrence and progression of drought are slow. It is a hydro-meteorological orenvironmental disaster. Drought monitoring and impact assessment is multi-disciplinary in natureand includes meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and socio-economic indicators. Droughtmanagement requires a strong system for monitoring and timely assessment of impact. Recent
advances in data-centric technologies such as remote sensing, mobiles and weather
instrumentation and data analytics offer enormous opportunities for objective assessment of thedrought situation leading to its effective management.
NRSC (ISRO) is an active partner in UNESCAP’s regional cooperation mechanism for droughtrisk management. NRSC has developed automation tools for satellite data analysis in droughtmonitoring in Myanmar and Sri Lanka under this mechanism. Similarly, NRSC organised
capacity building programmes for various countries, identified by UNESCAP. Such initiatives
may also be taken up for Sentinel Asia member countries on drought risk management andmonitoring. Development of automation tools for satellite data analysis in drought monitoring,organisation of customised capacity building programmes, and exchange of knowledge andmethodologies are some of the activities that can be planned for Sentinel Asia.
Also, other than the “Space Technology for Drought Risk Management” webinar, as an active
partner of Sentinel Asia, ISRO is planning to organize the following two capacity building
training programmes:
1. Spatial Flood Early Warning by NRSC/ISRO with IWMI in October 2021
2. Emergency Response Mapping and Crisis Management by IWMI in association with ADRC,
NRSC/ISRO in winter (TBC)
In addition to these, ISRO will support and be associated with any other capacity building
programmes envisaged under Sentinel Asia in the near future.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
We understand that ISRO is preparing for a NISAR project, an ISRO–NASA collaboration for a
SAR satellite, which has cutting-edge sensors. Could you introduce this mission, including its
possible contribution to Sentinel Asia?
Dr. Raj Kumar
ISRO and NASA JPL are jointly developing a state-of-the-art L- and S-band SweepSAR(NISAR), planned to be launched by India. The NISAR mission has been conceptualized toprovide L- and S-band space-borne SAR data with high repeat cycle, high resolution and larger
swath with capability of full-polarimetric and interferometric modes of operation. This science
mission is expected to provide an impetus to the understanding of various processes for land,
oceans and cryosphere in regional to global scales. NISAR data will address the critical issues ofdisaster management such as floods, forest fire, landslides, volcanoes, oil spills, earthquakes,
glacier melt, etc. apart from many other applications. The data will be freely available and will
be made available to Sentinel Asia users in addressing various disasters in member countries.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Lastly, what can you contribute to Sentinel Asia’s activities in the future and what do you expectfrom Sentinel Asia?
Dr. Raj Kumar
ISRO has been supporting Sentinel Asia and other international commitments, by providing all
the necessary Indian Remote Sensing satellite data as a DPN, based on the role ISRO has played
as a DAN for specific disaster events. ISRO has organized several international meetings andsymposia under Sentinel Asia, APRSAF, and the International Charter. Also, ISRO has
contributed significantly to capacity building on various disaster themes for the national andinternational community. ISRO is firmly committed to working towards achieving the goals of
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in building a society resilient todisaster risks. ISRO ensures that it will extend similar support to Sentinel Asia member countries
in the near future.
As ISRO requires satellite data from more space missions in microwave and optical regions frommember countries to address disasters in India, Sentinel Asia may facilitate the provision of suchdata. ISRO would look forward to collaborative research on disaster risk modelling and risk
reduction with expertise available among member countries on various disaster themes<About Dr. Raj Kumar >Dr. Raj Kumar received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Lucknow University. He
has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals of international repute and leading
many young researchers towards their Ph.D. Dr. Raj Kumar also plays a pivotal role in propelling
collaborations with international space agencies through various forums such as the Committee
on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites(CGMS), and the International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST). He currently coleads the CEOS COAST team with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA).
- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. [Event] Sentinel Asia Webinar "Space Technology for Flood Forecast Modelling" co-organizedby ISRO and IWMI was successfully held.
The webinar “Space Technology for Flood Forecast Modelling” was held on 27 and 28 October,jointly organized by ISRO and IWMI.

This webinar is a follow-on of the webinar on space-based drought risk management coorganized by ISRO and IWMI on 19 and 20 July, and featured, like its predecessor, general
theories, experts' lectures and an interactive session, among others. Stakeholders, engineers andresearchers participated in this webinar.
- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *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 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