An international team of scientists has presented the results of a large-scale study dedicated to analyzing the condition of bridges in various regions of the world. The researchers emphasize that satellite monitoring can become a decisive tool for preventing sudden collapses of critical infrastructure that ensures the safety of millions of people.
This is reported by Finway
Problematic Regions and Risk Factors
As part of the study published in the journal Nature Communications, experts analyzed the technical condition of 744 bridges worldwide. The worst average indicators are recorded in North America, while Africa ranks second in terms of potential danger. The primary cause identified by the scientists is the physical aging of structures, leading to the accumulation of hidden defects over the years.
North America remains particularly vulnerable, where mass bridge construction took place in the 1960s. Many of these engineering structures have already exceeded their projected lifespan, and typical visual inspections do not allow for the timely detection of hazardous damage.
Innovative Satellite Monitoring of Bridges
The scientists note the promising technology of MT-InSAR — multi-temporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar. This method allows for remote detection of bridge deformations with millimeter precision, identifying ground shifts, slow settling, and other dangerous changes without the need for physical access to the site.
“Satellite systems allow for regular monitoring of over 60% of long-span bridges in the world. This helps reduce the number of high-risk structures, which is especially important for regions lacking funds for ground sensor installations,” says researcher Pietro Milillo.
Modern structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are implemented on less than 20% of large bridges. Visual inspections are conducted irregularly, and a significant portion of damage goes unnoticed until the risk of collapse significantly increases.
According to researcher Dominika Malinowska, the MT-InSAR technology has already proven its effectiveness in scientific projects, but it is still underutilized in practical bridge management. The new global study has demonstrated for the first time that this method can be applied for more accurate planning of repairs and resource allocation, which is particularly relevant for countries with limited budgets.
The authors of the study recommend combining data from the Sentinel-1 and NISAR satellites with traditional bridge condition assessment tools. This comprehensive approach reduces uncertainty, enhances risk management effectiveness, and has the potential to prevent large-scale infrastructure disasters in the future.