IBIS-ArcSAR: an Innovative Ground-Based SAR System for Slope Monitoring

In the last decade Ground-Based SAR (GB-SAR) technology has been demonstrated to be one of the most efficient tool for slope monitoring in open pit mines scenarios. However, especially for open pit mines application, one of the relevant limits is the azimuth coverage, being the mine often of elliptical shape. In this context, the IBIS-FM product of IDS GeoRadar company can reach about 80 degrees of horizontal coverage, and can be overcome by IBIS-Rover product that can reach 270 degrees of horizontal coverage but increasing the acquisition time. The recent IBIS-ArcSAR product developed by IDS GeoRadar can overcome these limits, offering a full 360 degrees of horizontal coverage in less than 1 minute of acquisition time, with additional feature of a constant angular resolution. Moreover, by exploiting the new capability of MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) Radar channels, the vertical height or Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the mine can be reconstructed through simple and computationally fast interferometric processing algorithms, together with an enhanced focusing of 2D SAR Image that is an open issue in Arc-scanning SAR systems.