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Subsidence and aquifers.

Ground movement & water risk

in conversation
Location

Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico

Partner

Partner TBD

Duration

2027 (dates TBD)

Status

upcoming

Datasets
  • Sentinel-1 InSAR
  • Groundwater monitoring
  • Building footprints

The challenge

Mexico City is sinking — in some areas, by 30+ centimeters per year. The subsidence is uneven, causing differential settlement that damages buildings and infrastructure. Residents in affected areas need better information about ground movement risk.

Our approach

Early conversations. Planned approach uses InSAR time series to map subsidence rates at building scale.

Impact

Project in early conversation.

Technical notes

Will require processing of Sentinel-1 InSAR time series — computationally intensive but feasible with cloud processing.

Cite this pilot

Human Scale Data. (2027). Subsidence mapping: Mexico City, Mexico. [Planned]. https://human-scale-data.org/pilots/mexico-city