Landslide mapping using SqueeSAR data: Giampilieri (Italy) case study

Multi-temporal analysis of space-borne radar images through Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) is exploited for detecting and mapping slope instability at basin scale in the south-western part of the province of Messina, hit by the intense storm events on October 1st 2009. Available PSI data provide estimates of yearly deformation velocity, referred to both historical (1992–2001; ERS images) and recent (2003–2009; ENVISAT images) scenarios. PSI techniques have recently demonstrated their suitability for the analysis of extremely to very slow moving landslides, and their complementarity with field campaigns, at both regional and local scales, allowing spatial and temporal characterization of the detected phenomena. Coupling and integrating deformation measurements extracted by means of SqueeSAR technique, thematic maps and optical data enabled to identify 26 sites (hotspot mapping), characterized by high hydro-geological hazard related to the occurrence of pre-event, extremely to very slow moving landslides.