A Geostatistical Approach for the Geomatics Characterization of a Landslide Phenomenon

Monitoring ground deformation in urbanized areas is a significant challenge for hydrogeological risk management and land-use planning. Starting from the combination and integration of remote sensing techniques with geostatistical modelling, this study focuses on characterizing, from a geomatic side, an ongoing landslide phenomenon in the municipality of Chieuti (FG), in southern Italy. The analysis is based on the use of the MT-InSAR (Multi-Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) technique, applied to data acquired from the Sentinel-1 (S1) constellation. Considering the discrete nature of these measurements, limited to Persistent Scatterers (PS), a geostatistical approach is proposed for the continuous reconstruction of the deformation field. In particular, the spatial correlation structure was analyzed using an empirical variogram and theoretical modelling. Subsequently, ordinary kriging interpolation was applied to obtain velocity estimates even in areas lacking direct observations, enabling the generation of continuous deformation maps within a GIS environment. The kinematic analysis allowed the identification and delineation of an area of active instability characterized by predominantly vertical deformations. The results showed a high level of consistency, confirming the reliability of the proposed methodology. The integrated approach developed is a useful tool for supporting decision-making in geomorphological risk management, particularly in urban contexts characterized by soil instability phenomena.