ITEPC 03 - Image Processing for Tsunamis (Faculty supervisor: Prof. ROSSITER, David)

Project Objectives and Description:

Recently a tsunami caused the deaths of more than 200,000 people. This proposed project is an investigation into how image processing techniques can be used to help with the problems of tsunamis.

For example, it may be possible to predict the areas of land which will have the greatest initial impact of a tsunami before the impact takes place. This may be achieved by taking a satellite image of the land, and then applying appropriate image processing techniques to the image. The result should be an image which highlights the main areas that will be affected by the tsunami. An example is shown below:
On the left is an image of a coastal area. On the right is the image after it has been processed. It shows the areas of ground that will have the most impact if an easterly moving tsunami hits it.


Image processing techniques can also be used to provide a rough estimate of the damage done by a tsunami. For example, the first and second images show Aceh before and after the tsunami. By subtracting the second image from the first image, the third image is created.

 

In this image, areas which are not affected by the tsunami are shown as black. Areas where a large difference has been caused by the tsunami are shown as other colours. This kind of image would be very useful for aid agencies who can immediately have a good idea of the areas where the greatest damage has occurred, and send aid accordingly.
 
Language of instruction:

English
 


Software tools / programming languages involved:

GIMP
 
Deliverables:

A simple report or web page which lists the techniques which can be used to help provide information about tsunamis and their impact, with example images.
 

Things students will learn:

How images are represented on a computer
How images can be processed to extract information
How to use image processing software similar to Photoshop
 

Prerequisites:

 Experience with handling images on a computer is useful, but not essential.
   

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