MUSCL: Monitoring urban subsidence, cavities and landslides by remote sensing

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 99.0570

Key words (English)

Natural hazards; landslides; subsidence; remote sensing; interferometry

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: EVG1-1999-00008

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.4a.8 Generic R&D activities

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

University of Innsbruck (A), Politechnical University of Milano (I), Space Application Institute, Joint Research Centre, EC (I), Department of Earth Sciences / Geophysics, University of Milano (I), GEOTEST AG (CH)

Abstract (English)

The project was aimed at contributing to the fight against natural hazards related to mass movements on unstable mountain slopes and excavations in urban areas. New techniques, based on Earth observation from space, were to be developed or refined which improve the detection and monitoring of hazard zones and advance the understanding of mass wasting processes. In addition, the complementarity of ground-based InSAR for landslide monitoring was studied. An important goal was also to validate and demonstrate the new techniques in different environments.
In extension of previous work of the project partners, remote sensing methods and applications were developed or improved to measure and monitor displacements at the Earth's surface with very high accuracy over extended areas and time periods. The main data source are satellite based imaging radar systems (SAR). The interferometric technique was applied to map motion fields of various type and extent from regional scales down to displacements of individual targets. Millimetric accuracy is achieved for the displacement measurements which are carried out over repeat intervals ranging from a few weeks to several years.The methods were applied and validated in several test sites in Alpine and Mediterranean regions, including synergistic studies with optical image data and ground-based geophysical and geodetic measurements. In addition, ground-based interferometric SAR (InSAR) methods were further developed in the project which can be used to monitor the displacement of individual slopes in detail with high temporal and spatial accuracy.
The developed methods and application examples are described in technical reports, available to the public, and in several articles in the open literature. The methods and tools for measuring surface displacement at millimetric accuracy, developed by the project partners, can be applied to monitor movements at unstable mountain slopes and to monitor subsidence related to construction activities, tunnelling, oil and ground water pumping, mining etc.
The project resulted in a major step forward towards operational use of Earth observation data for detecting and monitoring hazardous mass wastes. Methods and software using satellite-borne radar interferometry (InSAR) were developed or improved and validated which enable mapping and monitoring motion and deformation at the Earth's surface with very high accuracy over a wide range of spatial scales. In addition, a ground-based InSAR sensor was further refined and tested enabling the mapping and continuous monitoring of terrain displacement of individual slopes and large structures. The project developments and application studies offer a good basis for operational exploitation by the remote sensing and geotechnical service sectors and for support of national and EC policies related to Civil Protection and the European Strategy for Space.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 99.0570