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The results of the continuous monitoring of ground deformation throughout the Tuscany region using radar images acquired by the Sentinel-1 satellite constellation of the European Space Agency (ESA) are presented here. This new monitoring approach, based on systematic imagery processing and analysis of deformation time series, is discussed at regional (for the entire Tuscany) and at local scale in the context of a case study of the Carpineta landslide, which is a large, active earth slide in the Northern Apennines (Pistoia province). The landslide registered an acceleration during the winter and spring of 2018 as a direct consequence of rainfall and snow melt. The increase in the deformation rate of the landslide, which led to the damage of several buildings, was promptly detected and monitored due to the enhanced temporal repetitiveness offered by the Sentinel-1 constellation. The results demonstrate that advances in satellite sensors, increases in computing capacity and the refinement of processing approaches and data screening tools can contribute to the development of new paradigms in satellite-based monitoring systems. Sentinel-1 data, which are systematically acquired with short revisiting times and then promptly processed, can now be used as a tool for the systematic tracking of ground deformation at the regional scale and for the continuous monitoring of slow and very slow landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial resolution of digital elevation models (DEMs) is an important factor for reliable landslide studies. Multi-interferometric techniques such as persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR) are used to evaluate the landslide state of activity and its ground deformation velocity, which is commonly measured along the satellite line of sight (LOS). In order to compare velocities measured by different satellites in different periods, their values can be projected along the steepest slope direction, which is the most probable direction of real movement. In order to achieve this result, DEM-derived products are needed. In this paper, the effectiveness of different DEM resolutions was evaluated in order to project ground deformation velocities measured by means of PSInSAR technique in two different case studies in the Messina Province (Sicily, southern Italy): San Fratello and Giampilieri. Three DEMs were used: (i) a 20-m resolution DEM of the Italian Military Geographic Institute (IGM), (ii) a 2-m resolution DEM derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data for the San Fratello 2010 landslide, and (iii) a 1-m resolution DEM derived from ALS LiDAR data for the area of Giampilieri. The evaluation of the applied method effectiveness was performed by comparing the DEMs elevation with those of each single permanent scatterer (PS) and projecting the measured velocities along the steepest slope direction. Results highlight that the higher DEM resolution is more suitable for this type of analysis; in particular, the PS located nearby the watershed divides is affected by geometrical problems when their velocities are projected along the steepest slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]