Civil Engineering and Construction
InSAR can be a strong enabler for geotechnical analysis and area stability control for civil engineering and construction projects
InSAR is a highly practical tool for civil engineering and construction projects. The method adoption is growing within the sector although this are still very early days.
InSAR can also be used to provide an area and object stability monitoring during the construction phase of a project. Excavation works and large objects construction leading to increasing and changing loads often cause changes to wider areas, which are hard or impossible to detect using other techniques. This represents a serious risk during most of the construction projects.
InSAR can be effectively used at the pre-design phase for a site suitability analysis. This is the only method which allows to establish if an area has been historically subject to deformations, which may affect geotechnical or engineering design, as well as perform the qualitative and quantitative analysis of these deformations.
Another problem, which can be effectively addressed by InSAR, is the post-construction subsidence monitoring. Subsidence is a normal process but it often also affects a wider area, where no sensors can be installed.
InSAR is also irreplaceable during the underground construction, when surface stability and stability of objects on the surface is a concern. This is especially critical in urban areas, where large underground construction projects, usually metro lines or tunnelling works, are undertaken.
GeoKinesia and CTTC provided wide areas monitoring services during the metro lines construction in Barcelona, Rome, Mexico city and other places while InSAR has also been used on the landmarks new metro lines construction projects in London and Paris as well as many others.
