What is InSAR and how does it contribute to oilfield operations monitoring?

InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) uses satellite radar to measure millimetre-scale surface movement over time, helping operators monitor uplift and subsidence around wells, pads and infrastructure.

How does InSAR satellite monitoring benefit operations in the Permian Basin?

In the Permian Basin, InSAR provides an early view of ground instabilities across large areas, helping you manage assets, target investigations and reduce operational risk.

Can InSAR data help predict failures in oilfield operations?

Yes—when combined with site knowledge and expert interpretation, InSAR trends can highlight areas where failure risk is increasing so you can intervene earlier.

What is InsideInSAR?

InsideInSAR is a public, basin-wide ground-motion map for the Permian Basin, created by SkyGeo using satellite radar (InSAR) to show slow uplift and subsidence across the region.

What area does the map cover?

The map covers the major sub-basins of the Permian Basin, including the Midland Basin, Delaware Basin and Central Basin Platform, with consistent processing across the whole area.

What satellites and radar bands are used?

The free map primarily uses C-band radar satellites such as Sentinel-1, while premium SkyGeo services can also integrate C-, L- and X-band data for higher resolution, penetration and revisit rates.

How far back does the data go?

The map includes several years of historical ground-motion data for the Permian Basin so you can see how uplift and subsidence patterns have evolved over time.

How often is the map updated?

The map is updated on a regular schedule based on new satellite acquisitions, keeping your view of basin-scale trends reasonably current but not real-time.

Do I need an account to use the map?

Yes—you need to create a free account so we can understand who is using the service, improve it over time and keep you informed of important updates.

What can I safely use the free map for?

You can use the free map for high-level risk screening, understanding basin-wide trends and identifying locations that may merit more detailed monitoring or discussion.

What can’t this map show me?

This map cannot reliably separate all noise from true subsurface signal, resolve very small or rapid changes, or tie motion directly to individual wells, pads or pipelines.

How accurate is the InsideInSAR map?

InsideInSAR is designed for basin-scale screening, not as a universal engineering-accuracy specification. Measurement quality varies with satellite geometry, surface coherence, atmosphere, processing choices and the time period being analysed. If a decision depends on a small local movement or a specific asset, the relevant uncertainty and quality should be assessed for that location rather than inferred from the public map.

Can I use InsideInSAR to assess a single well or wellbore?

The public map can provide useful regional context around a well, but it is not a wellbore-integrity test. Where a local anomaly matters, a higher-resolution assessment can examine the time series and spatial pattern around the asset and compare it with operational and integrity information. The Crane and Toyah examples show why both positive and null deformation results need careful interpretation.

Does InsideInSAR replace seismic, downhole or field monitoring?

No. InSAR adds a wide-area surface-movement layer that complements seismic, production, injection, pressure, integrity and field observations. Each method answers a different question. The strongest interpretation comes from combining them, particularly in a basin where the same surface location can be influenced by multiple subsurface processes.

Can InsideInSAR be used for regulatory or engineering evidence?

The public map can provide context and help identify where further work may be needed, but high-consequence regulatory or engineering use normally requires a defined dataset, method, quality review, uncertainty statement and interpretation appropriate to the decision. If you need a defensible export or documented assessment, request a project-specific SkyGeo service.

Can I download the raw InSAR data?

The viewer is for visual screening, but SkyGeo can provide underlying data and custom exports for engineering, modelling or GIS use under a separate commercial agreement.

Does an uplift or subsidence hotspot mean there is a problem underground?

Not necessarily. A visible pattern tells you that the measured surface behaviour differs from its surroundings or history; it does not by itself identify the cause or the level of risk. The next step is to check persistence, rate, spatial pattern and data quality, then compare the result with wells, injection, production, geology, seismicity and asset condition.

Why can two nearby locations show different ground-motion patterns?

Surface response depends on more than distance. Local geology, faults, pressure pathways, production and injection history, ground conditions and the depth and geometry of the driving process can all influence the pattern. That is why local interpretation should not assume that the nearest well or injector is automatically the cause of a measured anomaly.

Can InSAR distinguish subsidence caused by production from uplift caused by injection?

InSAR can map the direction, rate and history of surface movement, but attribution requires context. Production and injection may occur in stacked reservoirs and their effects can overlap spatially and through time. Local processing plus operational, geological and geomechanical information is needed to test which mechanism best explains the observed pattern.

How should I interpret changes in movement rate over time?

A change in rate can be more informative than the absolute displacement alone, particularly when movement becomes persistent or accelerates away from its historical baseline. Before escalating, check data quality, seasonality and whether the spatial pattern changes at the same time. In higher-consequence situations, that review should be tied to a predefined inspection or monitoring response.

What does a null InSAR result mean?

A null result means the analysis did not identify measurable surface deformation within the capability and conditions of the dataset. That can be useful evidence, but it is not proof that no subsurface or asset problem exists. The Toyah case on InsideInSAR is a good example: the absence of a deformation precursor helped distinguish the event from a slow pressure-build mechanism.

Who should I contact if I see something concerning on the map?

If you see unusual uplift or subsidence near your assets, save a screenshot and location, discuss it with your internal technical team and then contact SkyGeo via the site’s form to request follow-up analysis or a higher-definition assessment.

What information should I send SkyGeo when asking about an anomaly?

Send the location or coordinates, the asset or operational question, the time period of concern and any relevant well, injection, production, seismicity or integrity context you can share. A screenshot from InsideInSAR is helpful as a starting point. The objective is to understand the decision you are trying to make before deciding whether basin-wide data, local processing or another monitoring approach is appropriate.