Improving the capability of integrated DInSAR and PSI approach for better detection, monitoring, and analysis of land surface deformation in underground mining environment

Abstract

The study involves developing a framework of research methodology for enhancing the capability of spaceborne integrated DInSAR and PSI approach for better detection, monitoring, and analysis of land surface deformation in the underground mining environment. First component of the framework involves pre-feasibility assessment of the integrated approach followed by selecting suitable InSAR data sets considering three significant parameters, i.e., terrain, deformation, and system characteristics. The other essential components are preprocessing of the selected & acquired InSAR data for its quality check, the scheme for better detection as well as monitoring of mining subsidence trough(s) using Coherent Small Baseline-DInSAR Time Series (CSB-DTS), scheme for better in-depth monitoring of detected and undetected mining subsidence trough(s) using PSI, and result validation & analysis. Effectiveness of the proposed framework has been validated in the assessment of subsidence due to underground mining activities in one of the largest copper-ore producing belts in India, Khetri Copper Belt.

Keywords:

• Research framework
• CSB-DTS
• PSI/time-series InSAR
• TSX datasets
• land surface deformation
• underground hard rock metal mining
• open stoping
• stoped-out-zone (SoZ)
• GNSS observations

Acknowledgment

The Authors would like to thank DLR (German Space Agency) for providing TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X InSAR data sets on COFUR prices for scientific use. The Authors would also like to thank Gamma Remote Sensing Research and Consulting AG for providing Gamma SAR and Interferometry Software, Particularly IPTA.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work has been funded by the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India through Science and Technology Programme (Ref: F.No. 14/39/2015-Met.IV).