SkyGeo technical paper on remotely managing geotechnical risk over 45 mine sites using InSAR monitoring, illustrated with haul trucks and open-pit slopes

Remotely managing geotechnical risk over 45 mine sites using InSAR monitoring techniques

Technical Paper

This paper discusses a remote monitoring solution implemented by Sibelco and SkyGeo to manage geotechnical risk across more than 45 geographically diverse quarrying and mining sites in Europe.

 

  • Learn how Sibelco manages geotechnical oversight for over 45 diverse mine sites across Europe using a tailored remote InSAR monitoring solution.

  • Understand the collaborative process between geotechnical and InSAR domain experts required to separate geotechnically relevant displacement signals from all the noise.

  • Discover how initial validation with ground data (like inclinometers) builds confidence, allowing InSAR to become the leading tool for identifying millimeter-scale motion patterns.

  • See how the monitoring solution is actively optimized, utilizing both free Sentinel-1 data for wide coverage and higher-resolution TerraSAR-X for critical diagnostic confidence.

  • Grasp the importance of contextual site knowledge, such as active excavation areas or seasonal clay swell, to accurately interpret InSAR results and set meaningful risk thresholds.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Mining and quarrying companies managing geotechnical risk across many sites, and the group geotechnical leads responsible for them.

  • How Sibelco and SkyGeo set up remote InSAR monitoring across more than 45 quarrying and mining sites in Europe.

  • Geotechnical and SkyGeo’s InSAR specialists review the data together, and InSAR results are checked against ground instruments such as inclinometers.

  • Activity such as excavation or seasonal clay swelling can look like ground movement. Knowing the site is essential for reading the results and setting sensible risk thresholds.