Subsidence Monitoring in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) from 2016 to 2021: From InSAR and GNSS Integration to Data Analysis

• Published in: Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 17; no. 6; p. 947
• Main Authors: Bitelli, Gabriele, Ferretti, Alessandro, Giannico, Chiara, Giorgini, Eugenia, Lambertini, Alessandro, Marcaccio, Marco, Mazzei, Marianna, Vittuari, Luca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2025
• Subjects: Algorithms; Artificial satellites in remote sensing; Calibration; Data analysis; Datasets; Environmental monitoring; Environmental protection; Geology; Global navigation satellite system; GNSS; InSAR; Interferometric synthetic aperture radar; Remote sensing; Satellite imagery; Satellite observation; Satellites; Sediments; Soil dynamics; Subsidence; Synthetic aperture radar; Time series; Italy; Netherlands; Apennines; Po River
• ISSN: 2072-4292; 2072-4292
• DOI: 10.3390/rs17060947

This study investigates vertical soil movement, a subsidence phenomenon affecting infrastructure and communities in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy). Building upon previous research—initially based on leveling and GNSS observations and later expanded with interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)—this study focuses on recent data from 2016 to 2021. A key innovation is the use of dual-geometry ascending and descending acquisitions to derive the vertical and the east–west movement components, a technique not previously applied at a regional scale in this area. The integration of advanced geodetic techniques involved processing 1208 Sentinel-1 satellite images with the SqueeSAR® algorithm and analyzing data from 28 GNSS permanent stations using the precise point positioning (PPP) methodology. By calibrating the InSAR data with GNSS measurements, we generated a comprehensive subsidence map for the study period, identifying trends and anomalies. The analysis produced 13.5 million measurement points, calibrated and validated using multiple GNSS stations. The final dataset, processed through geostatistical methods, provided a high-resolution (100-m) regional subsidence map covering nearly 11,000 square kilometers. Finally, the vertical soil movement map for 2016–2021 was developed, featuring isokinetic curves with an interval of 2.5 mm/year. The results underscore the value of integrating these geodetic techniques for effective environmental monitoring in subsidence-prone areas. Furthermore, comparisons with previous subsidence maps reveal the evolution of soil movement in Emilia-Romagna, reinforcing the importance of these maps as essential tools for precise subsidence monitoring.