Monitoring water defense structures using radar interferometry

Monitoring the safety of water defense systems is crucial for life in low-lying countries such as the Netherlands. Conventional monitoring of structures such as dams and dikes is often limited to visual inspection, with additional in situ measurements if deemed necessary. Here we show that advanced satellite radar technology can be used to obtain weekly updates on dike stability for a significant part of all dikes in the Netherlands. Applying a supervised classification of potential coherent scatterers, it is possible to provide a dense sampling of line structures such as water defense systems. Such observations can be used to assess structural stability of the water defense systems, leading to improved hazard assessment in relation to flooding risk. This may have a significant impact on safety assessment and hazard mitigation in the Netherlands.