| Project Title | Integration of InSAR to Support the Sustainable Risk Management of Linear Infrastructure Subject to Geohazards |
| Funding Agency | Canadian Space Agency |
| Funding Program | Science and Operational Applications Research (SOAR) |
| Duration | April 2015 – March 2017 |
Summary
Highways, rail lines and pipelines play an integral and vital role in Canada’s economic competitiveness and Canadians’ quality of life. The reliability and solidity of these high valued assets may be affected by local ground movement events known as geohazards. The long distances traversed, sometimes in remote locations, may impose constraints on the type and frequency of inspection activities used to monitor the state of these infrastructures. This is where radar imagery from Earth Observation satellite like RADARSAT-2 can help by monitoring these infrastructures regularly and in every location day or night. This proposal aims to integrate radar imagery to other source of information within a tool set to assess the impact of significance of a damaging event resulting from geohazards on transportation infrastructure.
Objectives
The primary objective of the current study is to integrate SAR-based data as part of the technology mix to support asset integrity management of linear transportation infrastructure subject to geohazards. The EO remote sensing technologies will be used to identify, monitor and quantify the magnitude, intensity and rate of ground movement hazards that may be impacting linear transportation infrastructure. Engineering models will integrate this knowledge and address identified industry gaps with respect to uncertainty on the condition, performance and remaining service life of the asset. This will provide a basis for the development of support tools and performance metric to facilitate informed decision-making process within an objective and quantitative risk based framework for sustainable asset integrity management of linear transportation infrastructure. These outcomes will address recognized industry needs, overcome identified barriers and transform current practice for the integrity management of these public assets.