Satellite Radar Interferometry (InSAR): an effective technique for deformation monitoring in geomatics engineering
2016
Many engineering infrastructures in all countries are structurally deficient. Rigorous inspection and proper monitoring of
these infrastructures is vital for the safety of the citizens. These interventions are both costly and time consuming making
it usually impossible to survey every one, which many times represent a high risk. Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry
(InSAR) is a remote sensing technique very effective for the measure of small displacements of the Earth’s surface over large
areas at a very low cost as compared with conventional geodetic techniques. Advanced InSAR time series algorithms for
monitoring and investigating surface displacement on Earth are based on conventional radar interferometry. These techniques
allow us to measure deformation with uncertainties of one millimeter per year, interpreting time series of interferometric
phases at coherent point scatterers (PS) without the need for human or special equipment presence. By applying InSAR
processing techniques to a series of radar images over the same region, it is possible to detect vertical displacements of
infrastructures on the ground and therefore identify abnormal or excessive movement indicating potential problems requiring
detailed ground investigation. A major advantage of this technology is that a single radar image, which can be obtained in
darkness and in any weather, can cover a major area of up to 100 km by 100 km or even a swath width of 250 km in the case
of the new Sentinel-1 C-band satellites, and therefore all engineering infrastructures in the area, such as dams, dikes, bridges,
ports, etc. could be monitored reducing operating cost effectively. The new generation of high-resolution radar imagery
acquired by SAR sensors such as TerraSAR-X or COSMO-SkyMed, and the development of multi-interferogram techniques
has enhanced our capabilities in recent years in using InSAR. In this paper we address the applicability of using spaceborne
SAR sensors for monitoring infrastructures in geomatics engineering and present several cases of study.
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