Landslide mapping and monitoring by using radar and optical remote sensing: Examples from the EC-FP7 project SAFER

•We present the main outcomes of the Landslide Thematic services of the EU-funded project SAFER.•The work deals with landslide inventory mapping and monitoring using radar and optical data.•EO satellite data are exploited in different environments and emergency management phases.•Example applications in Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Taiwan are shown.

This paper focuses on the Landslide Thematic services of the EU-funded FP7-SPACE project SAFER (Services and Applications For Emergency Response) for inventory mapping, monitoring and rapid mapping by using Earth Observation (EO). We exploited satellite Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), and discuss example applications in South Tyrol and Abruzzo (Italy), Lower Austria (Austria), Lubietova (Slovakia) and the Kaohsiung County (Taiwan). These case studies showcase the significance of radar and optical EO data, InSAR and OBIA methods for landslide mapping and monitoring in different geological environments and during all phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, crisis and recovery.

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