Summary. Space geodesy data are used to verify whether plates move chaotically or rather follow a sort of tectonic mainstream. While independent lines of geolo

Started in 2009, the COSMOCoast project aims to the investigation of the potential of Remote Sensing in support to the management of coastal areas. Particular attention is paid to the contribution of data acquired from the COSMO-SkyMed constellation, in view of their frequency of acquisitions and ground resolution; in particular this paper aims at assessing the potential of COSMO-SkyMed data for coastline delineation. The results are conceived to be of particular interest for public administration bodies in charge of coastal defense. Keywords: Remote Sensing, Coastal Zones Management, COSMO-SkyMed.

The correct georeferencing of remote sensing imagery is a fundamental task for orthoimages, digital elevation models (DEMs)/digital surface models (DSMs) generation and 3D feature/object extraction. In this article we focus on the georeferencing of pushbroom sensors imagery, in particular single images collected by EROS A and QuickBird satellites, with a rigorous model that is based on the collinearity equations. The model, implemented in the software SISAR (Software per Immagini Satellitari ad Alta Risoluzione), reconstructs the orbital segment during image acquisition through the Keplerian orbital parameters, the sensor attitude, the internal orientation and additional self-calibration parameters. With respect to the estimation procedure, in order to avoid possible instabilities due to high correlations among some parameters leading to design matrix pseudo-singularity, singular value decomposition (SVD) and QR decomposition are used to select the estimable parameters and finally to solve the extended linearized collinearity equations system in the least square (LS) sense. To test the effectiveness of the new model, SISAR results are compared with the rigorous model implemented in the well-known commercial software OrthoEngine 10.0 (PCI Geomatics, ON, Canada). In this article six images are concerned (two from EROS A and four from QuickBird), showing that SISAR performances are at the level of the OrthoEngine ones.

Actually complex underground structures and facilities occupy a wide space in our cities, most of them are often unsurveyed; cable duct, drainage system are not exception. Furthermore, several inspection operations are performed in critical air condition, that do not allow or make more difficult a conventional survey. In this scenario a prompt methodology to survey and georeferencing such facilities is often indispensable. A visual based approach was proposed in this paper; such methodology provides a 3D model of the environment and the path followed by the camera using the conventional photogrammetric/Structure from motion software tools. The key-role is played by the lens camera; indeed, a fisheye system was employed to obtain a very wide field of view (FOV) and therefore high overlapping among the frames. The camera geometry is in according to a forward motion along the axis camera. Consequently, to avoid instability of bundle adjustment algorithm a preliminary calibration of camera was carried out. A specific case study was reported and the accuracy achieved.