How CATALYST implemented satellite InSAR-based ground displacement monitoring for water utility distribution networks.
The Project
CATALYST partnered with a leading water utility company to monitor and assess risks to water distribution infrastructure across several large urban regions. The total area monitored covered approximately 10,000k m2 .
The project featured a historical archive analysis to establish a baseline of typical ground movement velocities within the study region.
The analysis also established a model for identifying ground displacement thresholds that resulted in pipe failures by comparing historical burst and leak data.
An on-going monitoring program was put in place to proactively identify displacement patterns that may contribute to future pipe failure.
CATALYST Solution
This velocity anomaly region represents a ‘risk zone’ for the pipe infrastructure, which is applied to the distribution network to highlight pipe sections at risk. A time series chart displays the time series of average velocity for the points within the anomaly detection zone, clearly indicating an acceleration in movement in this region which started in March 2024
The CATALYST team used Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSInSAR) analysis to measure ground displacement with millimeter accuracy.
As new satellite images were collected, data was updated to provide consistent measurements throughout the area of interest (AOI), delivering a scale and frequency of information only achievable with remote sensing technologies.
With each updated delivery, CATALYST determined areas of concern using our automated velocity anomaly detection algorithm.
The algorithm was tuned to real world thresholds that identified risk zones derived from historical analysis, providing the client with actionable insight.
Implementing satellite InSAR-based ground displacement monitoring for water utility distribution networks provided a scalable solution capable of effectively monitoring large areas.
Tangible benefits from the solution include:
- Mitigated costly treated water losses, translating to cost savings on water treatment and carbon footprint reduction
- Reduced costly remediation associated with failures and urgent repairs
- Monitoring of the whole network to identify areas of risk before they become a problem
- Improved network resiliency by integrating the large-scale continuous coverage offered by InSAR within your existing monitoring framework