Review on the Use of Satellite-Based Radar Interferometry for Monitoring Mining Subsidence in Urban Areas and Demographic Indicators Assessment

Mining activities represent one of the main causes leading to subsidence in the natural and urban environment. Sustainable urban planning and detection of potential hazards in mining areas involve the use of adequate instruments such as the continuous monitoring of land subsidence. The complexity of urban environment demands the utilization of new methods for monitoring and quantifying the effects of the mining processes. In the last decades, considering the technological developments from the remote sensing domain, the Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) techniques offer the opportunity for early detection and continuous monitoring of subsidence in mining areas, including urban centers. Considering various parameters of mining subsidence monitoring, a review of several tens of studies realized in different mining sites, based on InSAR techniques, is presented. As mining subsidence in urban areas has a direct impact on the quality of life, the review is completed with demographic indicators assessment, followed by a study case on the dynamics of the population in an urban mining area from Romania, Ocnele Mari.