How Geofem Uses Satellite Data to Assess Geohazard Risks: 3 Real-World Case Studies

Geohazards—such as landslides, sinkholes and ground subsidence—are natural processes that can have significant destructive impacts.  

Accurately detecting progressive ground subsidence beneath urban infrastructure or monitoring slope deformation well before movements approach critical design thresholds, continues to be a major challenge for engineers and geotechnical specialists. 

Early-stage ground deformation is often spatially diffuse, slow-moving, and difficult to capture using conventional point-based instrumentation, particularly in dense urban environments or large, inaccessible areas.  

As a result, deformation trends may remain undetected until serviceability is compromised, assets are damaged, or emergency interventions become unavoidable.  

This lack of early, wide-area visibility limits an engineer’s ability to confidently assess risk, validate models, and implement timely, cost-effective mitigation strategies. 

Let’s explore how satellite remote sensing is redefining geohazard analysis and how Geofem integrates space-derived deformation data into practical, engineering insights for risk mitigation, infrastructure resilience, and informed decision-making. 

How satellites see what our eyes can't: The power of InSAR 

Traditionally, engineers relied on ground surveys, boreholes, and occasional site visits — methods that are costly, limited in coverage, and often catch problems late when they are already well advanced. 

Satellites flip this script. They deliver continuous, global monitoring, detecting tiny millimetric movements and mapping changes over vast areas.  

This shift from sporadic snapshots to ongoing "heartbeat monitoring" enables early warnings, better risk models, and proactive engineering decisions.  

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a radar technique that works day or night, regardless of cloud cover or precipitation.  

Two SAR images of the same area, captured at different times, are used to create interferograms—revealing even the slightest displacement and unlocking valuable engineering insights.

Here's the simple breakdown:  

1. A satellite beams microwave signals to Earth and records the "echo."  

2. It returns to the same spot days later and repeats.  

3. Even tiny ground shifts (as small as a pencil lead diameter) alter the echo.  

4. The difference creates rainbow-colored patterns called interferograms — each fringe represents a precise amount of movement. 

This non-invasive, repeatable data covers hundreds of square kilometres, with millimetre accuracy and high revisit times (e.g., 6–12 days on newer missions) — perfect for validating models, calibrating simulations, and monitoring remote or hazardous sites. 

This continuous, historical, and wide-area perspective allows engineers to move beyond reactive remediation toward predictive modelling, early-warning frameworks, and evidence-based design decisions. 

Turning satellite data into engineering insight     

At its core, satellite remote sensing technology is fundamentally changing how we model geohazards and measure environmental change.  

By combining advanced satellite remote sensing with expert analysis, Geofem transforms complex geospatial data into clear, actionable insights.  

We process raw satellite measurements into intuitive visualisations and comprehensive reports, highlight risk zones, and provide decision-ready information to support engineering and risk management strategies. 

Let’s explore three real-world examples. 

• Stabilizing a tourist haven: Mitigating landslide risk at Pissouri Bay, Cyprus  

  
  

The scenic resort of Pissouri Bay was experiencing ground instability, threatening tourism, local homes, and new development. Traditional methods couldn't provide a comprehensive, continuous picture of the slow-moving landslide.  

Geofem conducted long-term InSAR monitoring to map millimetre-scale ground movements across the entire area. This revealed the precise boundaries and dynamics of the unstable slope.  

Armed with this data, authorities and developers could identify high-risk zones, plan safer construction, and implement targeted mitigation measures, transforming uncertainty into a managed risk. 

Read more here.  

• Managing the aftermath: Mining subsidence in New South Wales, Australia  

  
  

Longwall coal mining beneath Douglas Park in New South Wales caused significant ground subsidence, threatening local roads, utilities and buildings.  

Geofem analysed multi-year satellite data to measure subsidence rates and patterns over a vast area, providing a clear history of deformation that ground surveys alone could never achieve.  

Over twelve months, our experts analysed satellite data and compared it with traditional in-situ survey results. The findings highlighted InSAR's superiority in capturing detailed subsidence patterns across the large area impacted by mining.  

Subsidence patterns over the longwall mining activity shown in blue.

Our detailed study gave the mining company and regulators a definitive, data-backed understanding of the environmental impact, crucial for remediation planning, liability assessment, and protecting future land use. 

Read more here.  

• Ensuring vital infrastructure safety: Monitoring Kouris Dam, Cyprus 

  
  

The structural integrity of the 110m high Kouris Dam, a critical water source for the island of Cyprus, was paramount. Any excessive, undetected movement could have severe safety and resource consequences.  

Using Sentinel-1 satellite data, Geofem established a continuous InSAR monitoring programme from 2015 onward, tracking the dam and its surroundings with millimetre precision.  

This created an early-warning system for structural shifts, allowing engineers to move from scheduled inspections to real-time health monitoring, helping in the early identification of any defects, ensuring safety and optimising maintenance costs. 

Read more here.  

From observation to action 

The detrimental effects of geohazards rarely stop once they have occured — they set off chains of environmental changes that can last years or decades.  

A single landslide can strip away protective vegetation and topsoil, leaving slopes bare and prone to further erosion. Earthquakes fracture aquifers and redirect rivers, sometimes causing long-term flooding or drought in downstream areas, and trigger further geohazards, such as landslides. 

Satellite remote sensing is uniquely powerful because it doesn’t just capture the event, it tracks the aftermath and evolution over time.  

For example: 

Post-landslide recovery: Repeated InSAR scans reveal how the ground continues to settle or erode after the initial failure. Optical and multispectral data show vegetation regrowth (or lack of it), helping predict whether barren areas will become permanent gullies or recover naturally. 

Coastal erosion and sea-level rise: Altimetry satellites (e.g., Sentinel-6) and SAR monitor millimetre-scale land subsidence along coasts, while optical imagery tracks shoreline retreat. This reveals how sea-level rise and increasingly frequent severe storms accelerate erosion — information critical for planning resilient communities. 

Deforestation and slope instability: Forest-loss maps derived from radar and hyperspectral sensors highlight how clearing trees for agriculture or mining increases infiltration and soil erosion, dramatically increasing landslide risk during heavy rain. Over time, this also reduces carbon storage and worsens climate feedback loops. 

In the long-term, large-scale satellite monitoring moves us from simply reacting to disasters toward anticipating and mitigating their environmental ripple effects. 

By translating satellite observations into practical, actionable strategies, Geofem plays a crucial role in informed decision-making and risk mitigation.  

Contact our team to see how we can help you anticipate, manage, and reduce risk with confidence.