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High resolution X-band SAR sensors: applications and trends for infrastructure monitoring in the framework of ASI’s initiatives

In the last decades the scientific community has increasingly used satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to improve the understanding of geophysics phenomena in many fields (e.g. geology, hydrology, glaciology, climatology, volcanology) as well as in civilian and environmental engineering. In this context, an additional step forward was provided by the new generation of X-Band very high-resolution SAR sensors, such as those hosted onboard the Italian COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) satellites, able to provide an exceptional capability of collecting dense interferometric data stacks in a short time interval (i.e. few months) with a resolution allowing to monitor single facilities in detail. In many case studies, the available CSK historical series of displacements highlighted the presence of localized deformation points, for example affecting cultural heritage buildings or of potential concern for the stability of bridges and railway networks. This highlights the maturity achieved by this technology widely used also by municipalities and public bodies for monitoring structures and infrastructures. Since 2008, ASI has strongly supported the exploitation of this kind of satellite data and in 2015, following the previous successful experiences, decided to encourage the international scientific community and the national Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through two dedicated “COSMO-SkyMed Open Call” initiatives. In this framework, this paper presents some selected case studies for structure and infrastructure monitoring and the related results, focusing the discussion on the recent developments and observed trends for both scientific and commercial communities, at both national and international levels.