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INSAR / GEODESY / EARTH OBSERVATION
Ground motion measured across assets and territory.
insar.sk analyses repeat satellite radar observations to map relative displacement and its development through time. Geodetic control and field measurements strengthen interpretation for the decision at hand.
01
INSAR
A spatial record of change
InSAR compares radar phase across repeated satellite acquisitions. Persistent targets provide displacement time series in the sensor line of sight. The result supports screening, monitoring and investigation across wide areas.
- 01 / InSAR
- Repeated satellite radar observations reveal relative displacement across observable ground targets. Delivery combines mapped results, time series and technical interpretation.
- 02 / PSI
- Persistent Scatterer Interferometry uses stable ground targets to build long, comparable time series in built areas and along infrastructure.
- 03 / LOS
- A single viewing geometry measures movement in the radar line of sight. Vertical or horizontal components need additional geometry or complementary measurements.
02
PRODUCT SYSTEM
SCAN → WATCH → PROVE
Three connected service levels cover historical context, recurring measurement and stronger ground control.
SCAN
Locate and contextualise motion.
Historical and current radar archives support a first spatial assessment. We define observable areas, deformation patterns and priorities before a monitoring commitment is made.
- Best for
- Portfolio screening, corridor review, due diligence and a first technical question.
WATCH
Maintain a comparable time series.
Repeat processing follows selected locations, corridors or portfolios as new acquisitions arrive. Quality indicators and declared reference choices remain attached to every series.
- Best for
- Assets and areas that need recurring evidence, change review and controlled delivery.
PROVE
Strengthen the measurement design.
Corner reflectors, active radar targets, GNSS, levelling and other sensors can improve observability or add independent ground evidence where the decision requires it.
- Best for
- Critical locations, difficult radar response and decisions that need a stronger validation chain.
03
USE CASES
Six operational contexts
Transport infrastructure
- Problem
- Long corridors and distributed structures make inspection prioritisation difficult.
- Response
- Historical and recurring InSAR reveals relative movement along railways, roads, embankments, bridges and adjacent slopes. Spatial changes guide targeted engineering review. Individual structures require suitable radar visibility, geometry and a movement component detectable in the line of sight.
Energy & utilities
- Problem
- Reservoirs, plants and networks extend across large and varied ground conditions.
- Response
- Portfolio screening identifies settlement or uplift patterns around surface assets and their surrounding terrain. Selected locations can move into recurring review. A buried asset is represented through surface response and complementary records.
Mining & industry
- Problem
- Extraction, storage and industrial activity can produce broad and localised ground response.
- Response
- Multi-temporal analysis maps subsidence zones, gradients and temporal development using available satellite archives. Rapidly changing or disturbed surfaces can lose radar coherence and require denser acquisitions or field instrumentation.
Geohazards & territory
- Problem
- Landslides and subsidence require consistent prioritisation across a region.
- Response
- Satellite time series add repeat measurements to inventories and public-territory assessment across wide areas. Vegetation, snow, slope aspect, layover and radar shadow create mapped gaps in observability.
Cities, buildings & heritage
- Problem
- Dense built areas contain many assets with different sensitivity and survey histories.
- Response
- Stable ground targets and built surfaces provide relative movement patterns for urban screening and selected-structure follow-up. A time series records displacement; structural condition still requires engineering or conservation assessment.
Insurance
- Problem
- Exposure review and claim investigation may need an independent pre-event and post-event chronology.
- Response
- Archived and current radar measurements add spatial ground-motion context for triage, expert review and documented evidence workflows. InSAR alone does not establish causation, liability or claim outcome.
04
SELECTED WORK
Programmes and completed applied work
European research, validation frameworks and selected applications show how the measurement moves from method to decision support.
PROGRAMME
European Ground Motion Service — validation framework
Participation in the validation consortium for four EGMS production cycles covering reference years 2024–2027.
Public programme recordPROGRAMME
Cynergy4MIE
Horizon Europe research on cyber-physical systems across mobility, infrastructure and energy. insar.sk participates as an SME.
COMPLETED DELIVERY
European rail and bridge screening
Historical Sentinel-1 analysis across three urban rail and bridge locations, including archive review from November 2014 to October 2020 and prioritised technical interpretation.
05
SELECTED RESEARCH
Selected research
SAR applications · Open access
A systematic review on soil moisture estimation using remote sensing data for agricultural applications
A. C. Teixeira, M. Bakoň, D. Lopes, A. Cunha, J. J. Sousa
Science of Remote Sensing 12, 100328Infrastructure & assets · Access state under review
Deep Learning Meets InSAR for Infrastructure Monitoring: A Systematic Review of Models, Applications, and Challenges
M. Fontes, M. Bakoň, A. Cunha, J. J. Sousa
Sensors 25(23), 7169Infrastructure & assets · Publisher record
Integrated monitoring of dams and large ponds: the role of satellite radar interferometry and the European Ground Motion Service
A. M. Ruiz-Armenteros et al., including M. Bakoň
Applied Geomatics 17, 379–392InSAR methods & applications · Access state under review
Monitoring Logging Impacts in Tropical Forest Using Sentinel-1 SAR: the Jamari Forest
A. C. Teixeira, L. Ferreira, M. Bakoň, D. Lopes, L. Pádua, J. J. Sousa
IGARSS 2025, 4223–4227Ground motion & geohazards · Open access
InSAR Analysis of Partially Coherent Targets in a Subsidence Deformation: A Case Study of Maceió
A. C. Teixeira, M. Bakoň, D. Perissin, J. J. Sousa
Remote Sensing 16(20), 3806SAR applications · Open access
Synthetic Aperture Radar in Vineyard Monitoring: Examples, Demonstrations, and Future Perspectives
M. Bakoň, A. C. Teixeira, L. Pádua, R. Morais, J. Papčo, L. Kubica, M. Rovňák, D. Perissin, J. J. Sousa
Remote Sensing 16(12), 2106Ground motion & geohazards · Open access
Multi-sensor and multi-temporal approach in monitoring of deformation zone with permanent monitoring solution and management of environmental changes: A case study of Solotvyno salt mine, Ukraine
K. Pukanská, K. Bartoš, M. Bakoň et al.
Frontiers in Earth Science 11Infrastructure & assets · Open access
remotIO: A Sentinel-1 Multi-Temporal InSAR Infrastructure Monitoring Service with Automatic Updates and Data Mining Capabilities
M. Bakoň, R. Czikhardt, J. Papčo, J. Barlák, M. Rovňák, P. Adamišin, D. Perissin
Remote Sensing 12(11), 189206
COMPANY
A compact Earth-observation R&D company
The team combines radar interferometry, geodesy, software delivery and applied research for work across borders and sectors.
Earth observation
insar.sk s.r.o. is a Slovak research and development company founded in 2015. It develops satellite-radar measurement methods and applies them to infrastructure, terrain and environmental questions worldwide.
A compact interdisciplinary team
Radar interferometry, geodesy, software systems and applied research are organised as one delivery chain. Individual CVs remain in tender and partnership workflows; the public site uses no portraits or personal biographies.
From signal to decision
Archive assessment, time-series production, geodetic control and technical interpretation stay within one delivery chain.
07
FAQ
The questions that define a useful scope.
What does InSAR measure?
It measures relative change in satellite-to-ground distance between radar acquisitions. A single viewing geometry gives line-of-sight displacement.
Can InSAR show three-dimensional movement?
Multiple viewing geometries and justified assumptions can estimate selected components. A single series is never full 3D motion.
How far back can an analysis go?
It depends on mission archives, geometry and usable surface response. Some European locations have suitable SAR records extending into the 1990s.
How does an active target differ?
An active target receives and retransmits a controlled signal. It can produce a strong response but needs power, configuration and maintenance.
CONTACT
Describe the asset and the decision.
We will review archive availability, radar geometry, surface response and a suitable validation path.
Discuss a site