UK Land Movement Mapped with Unprecedented Accuracy

TRE ALTAMIRA has processed more than 7,000 satellite radar images acquired over the UK since 2015 to generate a nationwide database of displacement measurements with unprecedented accuracy.

Radar satellites have acquired images of the Earth’s surface by emitting radar signals and measuring the reflected echo. Their electromagnetic waves can penetrate clouds, which makes this technology an all-weather system operating day and night. By processing multiple satellite images taken of the same area over time, the evolution of surface deformation can be extracted and measured with millimetric precision.

Various industrial and environmental organisations have used InSAR technology since the 1990s to detect and measure ground motions related to mining, or oil and water extraction from underground reservoirs, to assess the stability of road and rail networks, or flood defences, and even for forensic analysis in engineering.

Now, TRE ALTAMIRA has combined new satellites (Sentinel-1 A/B operated by ESA) with the latest computing power and processing algorithms, to produce a UK-wide map of ground stability. This national-scale product offers a view of the entire country while highlighting areas and assets that might warrant further inspection and surveillance.

Different satellite acquisition geometries have been combined to deliver separate, easy-to-use vertical and horizontal (east-west) measurement layers, allowing straightforward interpretation and integration with other data.

Users can access the webpage (http://tre-altamira.com/uk-insar-map/) to select an area of interest and request a price quotation.