Satellite radar has the benefit of being able to can 'see' through clouds and some radar instruments can measure ground movement even in vegetated areas. This makes Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) particularly useful for disaster response and creating models of where faults are accumulating stress at different parts of the earthquake cycle. The EGG Lab promotes the use of InSAR in continuous monitoring of many active faults in the Philippines and elsewhere, as well as other ground deformation processes.

The map to the left shows the displacement measured from InSAR for the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Leyte island (Philippines), with the blue areas moving up to 50 cm towards the satellite (westward and uplift), and the red areas moving away from the satellite (eastward and subsidence).  This map was produced on 7 July 2017, just a day after the earthquake. 

Using geodetic data like InSAR and GPS, and in conjuction with observations from the field, we develop models that represent how faults move in allow us to capture the complexity of fault processes that are connected to earthquakes. The source parameters of earthquakes allow us to gain an understanding of the geometry of faults (some of which might not be visible on the surface), earthquake source processes and mechanics, and the nature of crustal deformation.