Natural Disaster Damage Indices Based on Remotely Sensed Data: An Application to Indonesia

36 Pages Posted: 13 Sep 2017

See all articles by Emmanuel Skoufias

Emmanuel Skoufias

World Bank

Eric Strobl

Ecole Polytechnique, Paris - Department of Economic Sciences; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Thomas Breivik Tveit

University of Cergy-Pontoise

Date Written: September 8, 2017

Abstract

Combining nightlight data as a proxy for economic activity with remote sensing data typically used for natural hazard modeling, this paper constructs novel damage indices at the district level for Indonesia, for different disaster events such as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the 2004 Christmas Tsunami. Ex ante, prior to the incidence of a disaster, district-level damage indices could be used to determine the size of the annual fiscal transfers from the central government to the subnational governments. Ex post, or after the incidence of a natural disaster, damage indices are useful for quickly assessing and estimating the damages caused and are especially useful for central and local governments, emergency services, and aid workers so that they can respond efficiently and deploy resources where they are most needed.

Keywords: Climate Change and Environment, Inequality, City to City Alliances, Regional Urban Development, Science of Climate Change, Urban Economics, Urban Economic Development, Climate Change and Health, Global Environment, Urban Communities, National Urban Development Policies & Strategies

Suggested Citation

Skoufias, Emmanuel and Strobl, Eric and Tveit, Thomas Breivik, Natural Disaster Damage Indices Based on Remotely Sensed Data: An Application to Indonesia (September 8, 2017). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8188, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3034543

Emmanuel Skoufias (Contact Author)

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Eric Strobl

Ecole Polytechnique, Paris - Department of Economic Sciences ( email )

Ecole Polytechnique
Department of Economics
Paris, 75005
France

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Thomas Breivik Tveit

University of Cergy-Pontoise ( email )

33 Boulevard du Port
Cergy-Pontoise Cedex, Cedex 95011
France

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