Remote Sensing in the Transport Industry: A Review of Satellite Applications for Resilient Infrastructure

Abstract

While the presence of various transport infrastructures is essential for completing everyday tasks, their maintenance remains a challenge. Remote sensing techniques such as satellites have emerged as non-destructive and efficient methods, capable of managing this challenge by providing predictive maintenance options, large-scale, and cost-effective inspections. There has been growing interest in this regard, and recent studies have highlighted the potential of satellites as an early warning and complementary tool for condition assessment, thus providing a need to track the trends in usage, identify gaps, and opportunities for further research. The aim of this study is to provide a state-of-the-art review of satellite applications for the assessment of transport infrastructure. The study adopts a mixed methodology comprising a scientometric analysis and a systematic literature review following the PRISMA guidelines. The quantitative results showcase an interest in utilizing satellite imagery for early decision-making in maintaining the safety and resilience of transport infrastructures. From the literature analysis, the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, particularly Sentinel-1 and Cosmo-SkyMed, was found to be more profound for transport assessment than optical satellites. Additionally, the primary application of satellite imagery was associated with structural health monitoring in bridges, with some studies advocating for the integration of satellite data with ground-based techniques to yield holistic assessments. These findings reinforce the potential of satellite data in enhancing maintenance strategies and pave the way for future research to explore the usage of satellite imagery for comprehensive and resilient transport infrastructure monitoring.