Proceedings Article | 19 October 2023
KEYWORDS: Satellites, Satellite imaging, Remote sensing, Synthetic aperture radar, Earth observing sensors, Interfaces, Landsat, Image processing, Environmental monitoring
Transport infrastructure and coastal zone monitoring are crucial tasks in environmental protection and national economy growth, to guarantee the development of territories and urban cities, in which the movement of people and goods is essential. Concurrently, several features, including climate changes and high exposure to natural hazards such as subsidence, landslides, and earthquakes, can hinder the structural integrity of transport assets, causing damage and deterioration. This issue can escalate as materials may degrade and age, especially when the infrastructure is located in coastal areas. This ageing mechanism is triggered by the presence of moisture and corrosive chemicals (chlorides and carbon dioxide). The application of satellite remote sensing is widely acknowledged for the monitoring of extensive areas and its capability to collect regular data, e.g., on a weekly basis. In this context, it becomes necessary to investigate novel methods, and cost-effective procedures to achieve continuous and sustainable monitoring of assets and the environment at the network level, that can be prospectively adopted by public authorities and asset owners. These satellite data, if compared and integrated with traditional survey methods, allow to add crucial information related to potential damage and decay on the infrastructure and the surrounding environment. This paper investigates the suitability of integrating several information, derived from satellite data including SAR (C-Band, X-Band), multispectral and optical imageries, to detect potential damage and changes on transport infrastructures and the surrounding environment. To this purpose, a case study area located in Fiumicino, Rome, Italy, was investigated. The selected are includes the principal infrastructure systems, developing through interconnected modal systems such as runways, railways, highways and ports. An appraisal of several transport systems identified as instrumental for the case at hand, was carried out. The analysis of the results indicates that it is possible to identify and evaluate the presence of changes and displacements associated with the monitored infrastructure system and the environment.
