We’re excited to announce that over the course of 2021 and 2022, we’re working with Network Rail to help better understand the use of InSAR on the UK’s rail network.

It is an exciting time for satellite monitoring of railway infrastructure. The combination of data streams from radar satellites such as Sentinel-1, with new algorithms that are designed to extract the maximum amount of information from the data, mean that we can, for the first time, monitor ground movements across thousands of assets from space, and provide early warnings for failure. InSAR is not a perfect solution that can replace all existing technologies, but it is a powerful tool that can augment existing techniques, potentially saving monitoring costs and preventing costly and damaging failures.

We are completing a systematic study of locations over the entire rail network where earthworks are positioned, with a wide variety of ground conditions.

The level and quality of InSAR coverage from a range of satellite data and processing techniques are being assessed. This will be correlated to the amount of useful insight that can be gleaned from InSAR at each type of location and asset.

SatSense is undertaking this work on the basis of understanding and knowledge, from the fundamental principles of InSAR, to complex real-world applications. In addition, the transparent way in which we operate is to always be led by the science and to provide honest, well-articulated appraisals of what is and is not achievable with InSAR, and this has given credibility to work undertaken to date.

A more detailed study of certain areas is planned – a comprehensive analysis will be performed, comparing data from existing, in-situ monitoring equipment with InSAR data. The degree to which InSAR can replace and/or complement existing monitoring technologies across the rail network will be considered.

Contact us for a friendly chat to see if SatSense could help you keep your project on track.