## 3 Study Area, Data and Workflow  
### Study Area  
Myanmar lies between latitudes 9\({}^{\circ}\) and 29\({}^{\circ}\) N and longitudes 92\({}^{\circ}\) and 102\({}^{\circ}\) E, and covers a total area of 678,500 square kilometers. Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to the west, by Thailand and Laos to the east, and by China to the north and northeast. To the south, roughly one third of Myanmar's perimeter of 5876 km (3651 miles) forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1930 km (1200 miles) along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Much of the country lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. The country lies in Asia's monsoon region with its coastal regions receiving over 5000 mm of rain annually. Annual rainfall in the delta region reaches approximately 2500 mm, while levels reach less than 1000 mm in the Dry Zone of central Myanmar. As of February 2011, Myanmar consisted of 14 states and regions and of 330 townships. According to the country's 2014 census, Myanmar has a population of 51 million. Myanmar is an agricultural country with its main agricultural product being rice, accounting for roughly 60% of the country's cultivated land area [45]. The country's cultivated land is mainly distributed across the country's central and southern regions as showed in Figure 2.  
Myanmar is vulnerable to a broad range of natural disasters. Its coastal regions are particularly exposed to cyclones, tropical storms, and tsunamis, while at the same time, rainfall induced flooding recurs almost annually across the country. In addition, the whole country is at risk of earthquakes, droughs, and fires, while the country's mountainous regions are also exposed to landslide risks. Myanmar is currently ranked 10 th out of 191 countries on the Index for Risk Management (INFORM), which assesses the risks of humanitarian crises and disasters that could overwhelm a nation's capacity to respond [46]. Cyclone Nargis, which hit in May 2008, has been the most devastating natural disaster to occur in the country's history, resulting in 138,000 deaths. According to CRED statistics, 30 natural disasters, including 15 floods, occurred in Myanmar and killed 139,000 people from 2000 to 2015. The Government Focal Point for Disaster Preparedness and Response Program managed by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement (MSWRR) is responsible for disaster risk management, emergency relief, and disaster information management.  
From July to August 2015, Myanmar was hit by a major flood disaster with multiple landslides upon the onset of heavy monsoon rains in combination with the KOMEN typhoon occurring on 30 July 2015. According to MSWRR statistics, by the end of August 2015, the flood had affected 12 of Myanmar's 14 states and regions and 1.6 million people, of which at least 117 lost their lives. More than 390 ha of arable land and considerable infrastructure services were destroyed [47]. On 31 July of that year, the President of Myanmar declared the Chin and Rakhine states and Magway and Sagaing regions as flood disaster zones and welcomed international assistance. One national satelliteemergency mapping and satellite operations agency, the National Disaster Reduction Center of China (NDRCC), is responsible for emergency mapping not only for natural disasters in China, but also for other countries. The NDRCC has provided mapping services in support of more than 20 major disaster emergencies occurring in other countries. At Myanmar's official request, the NDRCC coordinated four Chinese earth observation satellites and provided satellite imagery and mapping services integrated with global open datasets for the flood emergency response.  
Figure 2: Landcover Map of Myanmar of 2010.