Monitoring for in-service control of a highway section affected by a landslide process

Client: ANAS Sicilia
Period: December 2021 – in progress
Location: Sicily, Italy
Technologies: Terrestrial SAR Interferometry

Problem

A landslide process has interrupted an important Sicilian highway. Following the restoration works of this road section, continuous monitoring is necessary to control the slope and the realized works.

Solution

As part of the monitoring campaign, a series of activities were carried out using various techniques in the field of remote sensing. Initially, a survey was carried out using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner that allowed the creation of a three-dimensional model of the area under investigation. This activity is considered preparatory to the installation of a Terrestrial SAR Interferometer (TInSAR) for the continuous monitoring (24h/24h) of the movements of the slope and of the works realized on the highway section. Corner Reflectors were also installed along the scenario in order to refine the quality of the acquired data. Finally, the monitoring station has been equipped with an optical sensor for the continuous acquisition of digital images of the monitored scenario.

Results

The continuous monitoring by Terrestrial SAR Interferometry allowed to identify the main unstable sectors of the slope and to control their evolution, also taking into account local meteorological data (e.g. rainfall).