Emergency Aerial Photography for the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake (GSI)

Abstract

Following the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) carried out emergency aerial photography over the affected areas using its survey aircraft Kunikaze III and aircraft operated by four private aerial survey companies. This paper describes the operational framework and the dissemination of imagery acquired through the emergency aerial photography campaign. In addition, examples of damage assessment using the acquired aerial photographs are presented.