Multi-Frequency SAR Data Processing Methods for Hydrogeological Hazard Monitoring (MEFISTO)

Projects

ASI

Client: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana

Partners: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Università degli Studi di Salerno (DICIV), IREA-CNR (Napoli), IRPI-CNR (Cosenza), IRPI-CNR (Torino)

24/06/2021 - 30/06/2023

Involved offices: Torino, Cosenza

Internal contact person: Daniele Giordan

Email: daniele.giordan@cnr.it

Involved staff: Daniele Giordan, Davide Cardone, Martina Cignetti, Davide Notti, Giovanni Gulla’, Luigi Borrelli, Luigi Aceto, Paolo Allasia, Marco Baldo, Danilo Francesco Stefano Godone, Elea Vairo, Tiziana Martire, Fabio Riccardi

The activities carried out within the MEFISTO project involved several research areas related to the application of multi-frequency SAR data for the monitoring of landslide phenomena, with particular attention to the development and testing of advanced methodologies for the study of ground deformation and the quantitative assessment of landslide risk. The research activities included the integration of SAOCOM L-band data into the SAR processing chain, the generation of time series and the mitigation of atmospheric disturbances; the processing of multi-frequency SAR data using advanced techniques for the detection of Persistent Scatterers (PS) and Distributed Scatterers (DS); the tomographic processing of low-frequency SAR data in areas characterized by vegetation cover; the application of Deep Learning techniques for separating canopy and ground contributions; the use of displacement measurements for the multiscale characterization of landslide phenomena; and finally, the use of deformation measurements for vulnerability analysis and quantitative risk assessment. The activities carried out by IRPI focused in particular on the last two research topics. Specifically, the GMG group worked on the development and application of a methodology dedicated to the analysis of ground deformations associated with Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation (DGSD), based on interferometric data acquired by the Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed sensors. The methodology was applied to the Croix de Fana and Valtournenche case studies (Aosta Valley), enabling a detailed characterization of the deformation patterns and the activity state of the investigated phenomena. Further activities concerned the spatio-temporal analysis of large slow-moving landslides and the evaluation of their impact on anthropogenic elements through the integration of multi-source and multi-sensor data. This approach was applied to the Mendatica case study (Valle Arroscia, Ligurian Alps), with the aim of reconstructing the evolution of the phenomenon and analysing its effects on the urbanized area.

Research publications:

Notti, D., Cignetti, M., Cardone, D.*, Peduto, D., Nicodemo, G., Luongo, D., Ferlisi, S., Reale, D., Verde, S., Calò, F., Sansosti, E., Fornaro, G., Giordan, D. (2025). Multi-Source Data Integration to Investigate 30 Years of Slope and Damage Evolution in an Urban Area: The Mendatica Landslide (Ligurian Alps, Northern Italy). Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, Springer, December 2025. (Submitted on 5 December 2025)

Cardone, D., Cignetti, M., Notti, D., Godone, D., Giordan, D., Calò, F., Verde, S., Reale, D., Sansosti, E., Fornaro, G. (2023). Slope-Scale Evolution Categorization of Deep-Seated Slope Deformation Phenomena with Sentinel-1 Data. Remote Sens., 15, 5440. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235440

Conference abstracts:

Notti D., Cignetti M., Cardone D., Peduto D., Nicodemo G., Luongo D., Bovolenta R., Federici B., Reale D., Verde S., Calò F., Sansosti E., Fornaro G., Giordan G. (2024). Quantifying Urban Damage Due To Slow-Moving Landslides: A Multi-Instrument And Multi-Disciplinary Approach. 4th European Regional Conference of IAEG, EUROENGEO 2024, Dubrovnik, Croazia, 8–12 ottobre 2024. (Presented in Dubrovnik by Dr. Daniele Giordan)

Cignetti M., Notti D., Cardone D., Godone D., Allasia P., Dematteis N., Calò F., Verde F., Reale D., Fornaro G., Giordan D. (2023). Multi-Band and Multi-Techniques InSAR Application for Landslide Mapping and Monitoring: Part of the ASI-MEFISTO Project Outcomes. 2nd IRPI Workshop, La mitigazione dei rischi geo-idrologici in un contesto di cambiamento globale: quali risposte dalla comunità scientifica, Roma, 3–5 luglio 2023.

Cardone D., Cignetti M., Notti D., Godone D., Giordan D. (2023). Morpho-Structural Domains Characterization by Spaceborne SAR Data: Application on Two Deep-Seated Phenomena in Aosta Valley (North-Western Italy). EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 aprile 2023, EGU23-15780. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15780

Cignetti M., Cardone D., Notti D., Godone D., Dematteis N., Verde S., Calò F., Reale D., Sansosti E., Fornaro G., Giordan D. (2022). Enhanced Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation Investigation Through Spatial and Temporal Characterization of Morpho-Structural Domains: The Croix de Fana and Valtournenche Cases, Aosta Valley, Italy. Convegno ASITA 2022, Badia (BZ), Italia, 28–30 settembre 2022.

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