Using ground based radar interferometry during emergency: the case of the A3 motorway (Calabria Region, Italy) threatened by a landslide

Abstract

Abstract. The rapid assessment of the evolution of the phenomena which occur during an emergency, along with an all weather and h24 monitoring capability, are probably the main characteristics of a system aimed at optimizing intervention in natural disasters, such as landslide collapses. A few techniques are able to provide all these features remotely, hence assuring safe conditions to operators. This paper reports on an application of the GB-InSAR (Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) technique to monitor a landslide threatening an infrastructure, the A3 motorway in the Calabria Region (Southern Italy), in emergency conditions. Here, it is evaluated how well this technique is able to satisfy these requirements. On 30 January 2009, a mass movement never detected before and located near Santa Trada viaduct caused the closure of that sector of the A3 motorway. The prompt installation of a GB-InSAR permitted to follow and to understand the temporal evolution of the landslide until the end of the emergency and then safely reopen of the motorway. The main steps of the GB-InSAR interferometry data interpretation used in managing this emergency are described and discussed here. In detail, data collected through a continuous acquisition have permitted the division of the unstable area into three smaller zones characterized by different extents of displacement.

Big data managing in a landslide early warning system: experience from a ground-based interferometric radar application

“…They are transportable and only require from a few tens of minutes to a few hours to be installed (depending on the logistics of the site). Moreover, they can detect "near-real-time" area displacements, without accessing the unstable area, 24 h a day and in all weather conditions (Del Ventisette et al, 2011;Luzi, 2010;Monserrat et al, 2014). On the other hand, some limitations reduce the GBInSAR technique applicability: first of all, the scenario must present specific characteristics in order to reflect microwave radiations, maintaining high coherence values (Luzi, 2010;Monserrat et al, 2014); only a component of the real displacement vector can be identified (i.e., the component parallel to the sensor's line of sight); and maximum detectable velocities are connected to the time that the system needs to obtain two subsequent acquisitions.…”

Brief communication "Landslide Early Warning System: toolbox and general concepts"

“…DSGSDs (Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations) are defined by Agliardi et al (2001) as slope movements occurring on high relief slopes and with relatively small displacements before the final phase of collapse. GB-InSAR (Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) is an advanced remote sensing monitoring apparatus recently used in landslide EWSs (Del Ventisette et al, 2011;Intrieri et al, 2012). short questions posed to the end-user about the type of landslide and qualitative estimates of the budget available (Fig. 2), as well as questions about the elements at risk and risk scenarios (Fig.…”

GB-InSAR monitoring of slope deformations in a mountainous area affected by debris flow events

“…Furthermore, in recent years the GB-InSAR technique has developed to an extent where it can significantly contribute to the management of major technical and environmental disasters (Del Ventisette et al, 2011;Broussolle et al, 2014;Lombardi et al, 2017;Bardi et al, 2017a, b). Between 31 October 2010 and 2 November 2010 the whole Veneto region (north-eastern Italy; Fig.…”