Sensor and satellite asset alert and management system (SSAAMS)

The Sensor and Satellite Asset Alert and Management System (SSAAMS) aims to improve the monitoring of linear infrastructure assets to minimise failure, thereby reducing maintenance costs and extending asset lifetimes. The application of satellite-based Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) enables the mapping of ground deformation across wide areas. Using this approach to identify areas of historic ground movement enables targeted risk-based installation of ground-based sensors on physical assets which then provide continuous accurate data at higher resolution for at risk locations. Launched in 2015, the data available from the ESA Sentinel-1 satellite provides the ability to undertake regular low-cost monitoring of distributed network assets identifying high risk areas for sensor deployment. On the ground bespoke sensors provide information on tilt, displacement, temperature, soil moisture and photography remotely relayed for immediate analysis and alert notification to infrastructure operators This paper summarises the initial project findings from comparing historical satellite data versus an existing array of ground-based tilt-sensors installed on rail infrastructure; demonstrating that similar trends can be observed from satellite and ground-based measurements. The paper concludes with a summary of ongoing control trials that will further calibrate the satellite and sensor measurements using radar reflectors. Additional deployment scenarios currently being trialled include reservoirs, highways and quarry embankments. For each deployment, the paper discusses the value that both datasets bring to the asset operators, how this will feed into a proactive asset management process and the benefits of having a unified platform for interacting with both satellite and ground sensor data.