Supporting hurricane response in Puerto Rico with aerial imagery

When Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico in September of 2022, resultant flooding and landslides caused significant damage on the island. Local and federal government agencies and insurance companies needed to determine the location and extent of this damage in a timely manner for restoration and assessment. With such a large area of potential impact—Puerto Rico is about 3,500 square miles in area—evaluating the aftermath was no small feat.

The approach: Aerial imagery
One of the most efficient ways to assess damage across large expanses is to acquire aerial imagery from manned, fixed-wing aircraft. About a week and a half after Hurricane Fiona hit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a task order for imagery over the entire island to Missouri-based geospatial provider Surdex Corp., which proceeded to design and execute the imagery acquisition efforts.

Rapid delivery of aerial imagery for Fiona’s response efforts was ultimately made possible through a few key factors, supported by rapid communication:

• An existing General Services Administration (GSA) contract that allowed a rapid contract response through the USDA PINE Ad Hoc and Disaster Support Programs
• Conducting acquisition flights during all clear opportunities
• Quick, minimal processing of imagery and upload to a web service

USDA PINE Ad Hoc and Disaster Support Programs
In 2022, the USDA established its five-year PINE Aerial Imagery Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) contract, selecting seven geospatial providers to facilitate the acquisition of aerial imagery through five different programs, each with unique purposes and specifications. Through the Ad Hoc and Disaster Support Programs, the USDA sent a task order to Surdex for 4-band (red, green, blue, near infrared) 30cm post-hurricane imagery over Puerto Rico with “relaxed” specifications. While most PINE programs require a minimum 30-degree sun angle and no cloud cover, this task order allowed a minimum 25-degree sun angle and up to 10 percent cloud cover to expedite acquisition.

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