Asbestos had been widely used in a variety of building materials for its adiabatic and corrosion-resistant nature. However, medical research has found asbestos fibers to be harmful to the human health and the World Health Organization (WHO) currently classified asbestos as one of the primary carcinogens. Since 1989, the Environmental Protection Administration has also revised regulations to list asbestos as a declared toxic chemical substance. By 2006, asbestos was completely banned as a building material from BSMI (Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection). Nevertheless, earlier construction projects made of asbestos materials still remained in existence. In order to investigate the asbestos roofs in Taiwan, this project combined remote sensing technology (i.e. hyperspectral, aerial and satellite images) with artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify their distribution. Furthermore, ground-based hyperspectral imagers were also used to collect asbestos-related hyperspectral data. The asbestos roof tiles collected were tested qualitatively and quantitatively by asbestos laboratories. This project established a Web geographic information system (GIS)– the “Baseline Survey Map of Corrugated Wave Asbestos Roof Tiles” to help local governments demolish, manage, and regulate asbestos. Finally, this project organized four expert consultation meetings, five advocacy meetings, as well as two GIS education and training sessions to promote asbestos-related knowledge. Having received positive feedback, these sessions are expected to help facilitate the organizers’ relevant operations in the future.

Asbestos, Aerial Remote Sensing Technology