SAR Interferometry Data Exploitation for Infrastructure Monitoring Using GIS Application

Abstract

Monitoring structural stability in urban areas and infrastructure networks is emerging as one of the dominant socio-economic issues for population security. The problem is accentuated by the age of the infrastructure because of increasing risks due to material deterioration and loss of load capacity. In this case, SAR satellite data are crucial to identify and assess the deteriorating conditions of civil infrastructures. The large amount of data available from SAR satellite sensors leads to the exploitation and development of new GIS-based procedures for rapid responses and decision making. In recent decades, the DInSAR technique has been used efficiently for the monitoring of structures, providing measurement points located on structures with millimeter precision. Our study has analyzed the behavior of structures in settlements, attempting to discuss the interactions of soil and structures, and examining the behavior of different types of structures, such as roads and buildings. The method used is based on long-term SAR interferometry data and a semi-automatic procedure to measure the displacement (mm/year) of structures, through a GIS-based application performed in the “Implemented MOnitoring DIsplacement” I.MODI platform. The analysis provides extensive information on long-term spatial and temporal continuity of up to 25 years of record, using satellite SAR multi-sensors from ERS, Envisat, and COSMO-SkyMed. The interpretation uses time series spatial analysis, supported by orthophotos, and layers of the DBTR (regional topographic database), Digital Surface model (DSM), and hydrogeological map to show anomalous areas with a high displacement rate and to observe the correlation of settlements in the sediments. With the satellite information and Geographic Information System (GIS), we were able to observe relevant parameters, such as the velocity of advance in the direction of the slope (deformation profiles), the cumulative displacement, and the trend changes in structures. The results illustrate an innovative procedure that allows the management of DInSAR data to facilitate the effective management of structures in which a monitoring protocol was developed at different spatial scales, integrating the information into a GIS.

InSAR Monitoring Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) Techniques for Ground Deformation Measurement in Metropolitan Area of Concepción, Chile

“…Multi-temporal InSAR's capabilities are its spatial and temporal coverage and remote monitoring at a consistent and continuous rate, making it suitable for monitoring large urban areas. This technique is mainly used in the field of geoscience to monitor the solid Earth's processes or phenomena that cause deformations, such as seismic deformation [8][9][10], volcanic, and landslides monitoring [11][12][13], and water withdrawals [14][15][16], as well as for infrastructure maintenance and monitoring tasks [17][18][19][20].…”

“…These techniques can be divided into two main approaches: First are Persistent Scatterers (PS) techniques, which identify coherent measurement points, recorded mainly in urban areas where there are buildings whose return signal is rarely overpowered by noise [22,23]. Several algorithms have been developed with the PS approach, e.g., [23][24][25][26][27][28] using coherent pixel selection criteria [20]. The second approach is the Small Subset Baseline (SBAS) technique, which compensates for the areas affected by the decorrelation of the SAR signal, thanks to the network of redundant interferograms [4,29].…”