Vertical land deformation is caused by natural causes such as sediment compaction, fault slip, and isostatic adjustments. Some anthropogenic activities like fluid extraction and injection can also create measurable land deformation. This deformation can occur across scales ranging from regional to local. Furthermore, the deformation can also vary across a wide range of timescales, spanning geological scales of thousands of years to periods of weeks or days.  

These processes can be studied using open-source data from satellite geodetic tools, which provide information for large areas with a temporal scale of days. Some of the popular datasets are SAR (e.g., Sentinel-1), LiDAR (e.g., airborne LiDAR), and SWOT data.  In this talk, I will discuss my research into subsidence in study areas with different geological and land use characteristics. I will also share my experience learning how to use some of these tools, including some considerations for data processing and interpretation, and some of the challenges I have found in using them. Additionally, I will highlight the support from scientific international communities that create spaces for discussion and learning.