1.
Big-data Earth observation Technology and Tools
Enhancing Research and development
http://ec-better.eu
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation
Programme under grant agreement no 776280
Introduction to the Hackathon – ETHZ: Comparing static and dynamic
effects of earthquakes on the ground surfaces
Dr. Andrea Manconi (andrea.manconi@erdw.ethz.ch)

2.
BETTER | Presentation
• Main Objective: to develop a service layer able to deal with the Big Data challenges
related to the use of Sentinel and Copernicus Earth Observation data. The development
of this layer is driven by user needs gathered through DATA CHALLENGES, and
delivering to them customized solutions denominated DATA PIPELINES
• 6 partners:
• Technical Development
• Challenge promoters

3.
From Challenge to Pipeline
Data challenges are set by user communities to
drive the development of the BETTER service layer
• Challenge - a well defined problem that
requires systematic processing of EO and/or
non-EO data
• 3 challenge yearly cycles
• Promoters working in key societal areas
• Involves high data volume and/or diversity
• Centered in Copernicus and Sentinel data
• 36 challenges were defined in the project,
generating more than 100 output products
for different AOIs around the world to
support the activities of 10 different
promoters

4.
BETTER | ETHZ - Scope of the activities
• GeoHazards - processes affecting the surface and/or subsurface of the
Earth. Under this term are usually included earthquakes, volcanic
activity, landslides, and land subsidence.
ETHZ usually investigates GeoHazards with field investigations and in-
situ instruments, and only in recent years the use of EO data has led to
an increased capability of observing phenomena at regional scales. The
main goal in BETTER is to facilitate a full exploitation the potential of EO
with data mining approaches to better study and understand
GeoHazards in different contexts.
http://ec-better.eu

5.
Analysis of the Surface Deformation associated with Earthquakes
Damages produced by
earthquakes are caused by
permanent surface deformation
due to fault offset, as well as
dynamic shaking due to the pass
of seismic waves. The
investigation of the relationship
between this two physical
processes may provide a better
understanding of earthquake
hazard.

6.
Analysis of the Surface Deformation associated with Earthquakes
• The challenge ETHZ-01-01-03 aimed at producing a homogeneous catalog of co-
seismic deformation associated with earthquakes with Magnitude larger than Mw 5
by relying on Sentinel-1.
• The Sentinel-1 data processing is triggered by the information retrieved from the
USGS pager, which for Mw>5 earthquakes usually include also a “ShakeMap”
calculation .
• Co-seismic interferograms are generated by the pipeline as soon as a new S1
image is available over the area identified as affected by the earthquake

7.
http://ec-better.eu

8.
Main goals of the ETHZ 2020 Hackathon
Find a convenient/clever way to exploit the large amount of results
obtained in the pipeline
• Systematically generate a new high level product, i.e. a map combining
the information provided by satellite radar interferometry (static
displacement) and from ground seismic sensors (dynamic
displacement)

9.
Framework
https://github.com/ec-better/hackathon-2020-ethz
• 4 hours total time (13:30-17:30 CET)
• Some examples of notebooks already available to facilitate the start up
• 2 check-points (15:00 and 16:00 CET) for group discussion
+Final review of the results at 17:00 CET
• Channel for specific discussions (thematic and IT) :
• https://meet.google.com/iox-xyej-gni

10.
Enjoy!
http://ec-better.eu