Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors
Dams are crucial for ensuring water and electricity supply, while also providing significant flood protection. Regular monitoring of dam deformations is of vital socio-economic and ecological significance. In Germany, dams must be constructed and operated according to generally accepted rules of eng...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/7/1318 |
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| author | Jannik Jänichen Jonas Ziemer Marco Wolsza Daniel Klöpper Sebastian Weltmann Carolin Wicker Katja Last Christiane Schmullius Clémence Dubois |
| author_facet | Jannik Jänichen Jonas Ziemer Marco Wolsza Daniel Klöpper Sebastian Weltmann Carolin Wicker Katja Last Christiane Schmullius Clémence Dubois |
| author_sort | Jannik Jänichen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dams are crucial for ensuring water and electricity supply, while also providing significant flood protection. Regular monitoring of dam deformations is of vital socio-economic and ecological significance. In Germany, dams must be constructed and operated according to generally accepted rules of engineering. The safety concept for dams based on these rules relies on structural safety, professional operation and maintenance, safety monitoring, and precautionary measures. Rather time-consuming in situ techniques have been employed for these measurements, which permit monitoring deformations with either high spatial or temporal resolution, but not both. As a means of measuring large-scale deformations in the millimeter range, the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technique of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) is already being applied in various fields. However, when considering the operational monitoring of dams using PSI, specific characteristics need to be considered. For example, the geographical location of the dam in space, as well as its shape, size, and land cover. All these factors can affect the visibility of the structure for the use with PSI and, in certain cases, limit the applicability of SAR data. The visibility of dams for PSI monitoring is often limited, particularly in cases where observation is typically not feasible due to factors such as geographical and structural characteristics. While corner reflectors can improve visibility, their large size often makes them unsuitable for dam infrastructure and may raise concerns with heritage protection for listed dams. Addressing these challenges, electronic corner reflectors (ECRs) offer an effective alternative due to their small and compact size. In this study, we analyzed the strategic placement of ECRs on dam structures. We developed a new CR Index, which identifies areas where PSI alone is insufficient due to unfavorable geometric or land use conditions. This index categorizes visibility potential into three classes, presented in a ‘traffic light’ map, and is instrumental in selecting optimal installation sites. We furthermore investigated the signal stability of ECRs over an extended observation period, considering the Amplitude Dispersion Index (ADI). It showed values between 0.1 and 0.4 for many dam structures, which is comparable to normal corner reflectors (CRs), confirming the reliability of these signals for PSI analysis. This work underscores the feasibility of using ECRs to enhance monitoring capabilities at dam infrastructure. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-45cf717e83474ec8a775c2a9d838a034 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-45cf717e83474ec8a775c2a9d838a0342025-08-20T03:08:56ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-04-01177131810.3390/rs17071318Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner ReflectorsJannik Jänichen0Jonas Ziemer1Marco Wolsza2Daniel Klöpper3Sebastian Weltmann4Carolin Wicker5Katja Last6Christiane Schmullius7Clémence Dubois8Department for Earth Observation, Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena, GermanyDepartment for Earth Observation, Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena, GermanyDepartment for Earth Observation, Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena, GermanyDepartment for Water Economy, Ruhrverband, Kronprinzenstraße 37, 45128 Essen, GermanyDepartment for Water Economy, Ruhrverband, Kronprinzenstraße 37, 45128 Essen, GermanyDepartment for Water Economy, Ruhrverband, Kronprinzenstraße 37, 45128 Essen, GermanyDepartment for Water Economy, Ruhrverband, Kronprinzenstraße 37, 45128 Essen, GermanyDepartment for Earth Observation, Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, 07743 Jena, GermanyInstitute of Data Science, German Aerospace Center, Maelzerstraße 3-5, 07745 Jena, GermanyDams are crucial for ensuring water and electricity supply, while also providing significant flood protection. Regular monitoring of dam deformations is of vital socio-economic and ecological significance. In Germany, dams must be constructed and operated according to generally accepted rules of engineering. The safety concept for dams based on these rules relies on structural safety, professional operation and maintenance, safety monitoring, and precautionary measures. Rather time-consuming in situ techniques have been employed for these measurements, which permit monitoring deformations with either high spatial or temporal resolution, but not both. As a means of measuring large-scale deformations in the millimeter range, the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technique of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) is already being applied in various fields. However, when considering the operational monitoring of dams using PSI, specific characteristics need to be considered. For example, the geographical location of the dam in space, as well as its shape, size, and land cover. All these factors can affect the visibility of the structure for the use with PSI and, in certain cases, limit the applicability of SAR data. The visibility of dams for PSI monitoring is often limited, particularly in cases where observation is typically not feasible due to factors such as geographical and structural characteristics. While corner reflectors can improve visibility, their large size often makes them unsuitable for dam infrastructure and may raise concerns with heritage protection for listed dams. Addressing these challenges, electronic corner reflectors (ECRs) offer an effective alternative due to their small and compact size. In this study, we analyzed the strategic placement of ECRs on dam structures. We developed a new CR Index, which identifies areas where PSI alone is insufficient due to unfavorable geometric or land use conditions. This index categorizes visibility potential into three classes, presented in a ‘traffic light’ map, and is instrumental in selecting optimal installation sites. We furthermore investigated the signal stability of ECRs over an extended observation period, considering the Amplitude Dispersion Index (ADI). It showed values between 0.1 and 0.4 for many dam structures, which is comparable to normal corner reflectors (CRs), confirming the reliability of these signals for PSI analysis. This work underscores the feasibility of using ECRs to enhance monitoring capabilities at dam infrastructure.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/7/1318DInSARPSItime series analysisdam monitoringmonitoring strategyelectronic corner reflectors (ECR C-Band) |
| spellingShingle | Jannik Jänichen Jonas Ziemer Marco Wolsza Daniel Klöpper Sebastian Weltmann Carolin Wicker Katja Last Christiane Schmullius Clémence Dubois Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors Remote Sensing DInSAR PSI time series analysis dam monitoring monitoring strategy electronic corner reflectors (ECR C-Band) |
| title | Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors |
| title_full | Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors |
| title_fullStr | Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors |
| title_short | Towards Operational Dam Monitoring with PS-InSAR and Electronic Corner Reflectors |
| title_sort | towards operational dam monitoring with ps insar and electronic corner reflectors |
| topic | DInSAR PSI time series analysis dam monitoring monitoring strategy electronic corner reflectors (ECR C-Band) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/7/1318 |
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