LiDAR assisted emergency response: Detection of transport network obstructions caused by major disasters

This article explores whether the use of LiDAR data in detecting transport network obstructions shortens the time required to reach disaster sites. It presents a method for doing this using LiDAR data collected in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA) before and after Hurricane Katrina. It involves identifying all the LiDAR data points that lie within transport links (e.g., highways or streets) and performing blockage detection analysis with the Quick Terrain Modeler (QT Modeler) software. After performing this blockage detection, routing analysis was performed to determine the effect of these obstructions on the time needed to reach 30 randomly chosen locations in the study area from the centrally located City of New Orleans Fire Station. The results show that the use of LiDAR data in emergency response situations can significantly reduce the response times for first responders to reach disaster sites. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.