In 2008, Wenchuan County suffered a devastating earthquake. Adding to the horror was a breakdown in communications that occurred when the first tremor hit. The Chinese Academy of Sciences immediately launched into action, making full use of its state-of-the-art facilities, remote sensing planes, and satellites to amass invaluable data.

On May 12, 2008, Wenchuan County in Sichuan suffered an earthquake of 8.0 on the Richter Scale, causing devastating loss of human life and property. What added to the horror was the breakdown in communications that occurred when the first tremor hit. Applying all the remote sensing technology available, the Chinese Academy of Sciences immediately launched into action, making full use of its state-of-the-art facilities, remote sensing planes, and satellites to amass invaluable optical and radar data.

Translated into English for the first time, the Atlas of Remote Sensing of the Wenchuan Earthquake presents a pictorial summation of this unique project. It chronicles the event with over 280 before and after color images from a range of perspectives, including geological and infrastructural. This volume dramatically demonstrates the value of remote sensing for understanding how an earthquake unfolds and its potential in helping coordinate emergency relief.