The new map allows you to check if the area is sinking – NRK Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio

During the day, the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), the Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE) and the Norwegian Space Center will launch a free mapping service – showing the movement of the land masses .

The new map has been christened InSAR Norway. You can see, among other things, millimeters of movement in Norwegian cities.

The researchers hope that people use the map to accompany their region and claim that this mapping tool is the first audience of its kind in the world.

The city center is sinking

Fredrikstad is one of the Norwegian cities that descend slowly but surely. The new map shows that several areas of the center are decreasing by 1 cm per year.

"In many cities, there are developed harbor fronts, but there are also many other areas of the city that are sinking in. Thus, large movements can cause significant damage to buildings," says lead researcher John Dehls from NGU.

Bjørvika in Oslo falls from 2 to 3 centimeters a year. The most displaced areas appear in red on the map, such as the urban areas of Presterød in Tønsberg and Ranheim in Trondheim.

Afraid to see that the neighborhood is sinking

"I was a little scared, we who live here will follow," says Line Engseth in Trondheim.

Enseth is one of the residents of the new and exclusive Grilstad Marina district in Ranheim, near Trondheimsfjorden. In three years, the neighborhood sank three centimeters.

She feared that would make it harder for her to sell the property. After Adresseavisen had written about the insult, Engseth and several residents became confused.

No need to be a problem

But Frode Reinaas, development manager at Grilstad Marina, said the construction project took into account these moves.

– We were prepared for all the time. When you fill an area, the time is up. We have already carried out surveys with forecasts on their amount, explains Reinaas to Adresseavisen.

Lead researcher Yngvar Larsen from Norut explains that a moving land mass is not necessarily dangerous.

"If things go down gradually over time and the whole house goes down at the same speed, that may not be a problem," Larsen told NRK.

Unstable mountain festivals

Although a few centimeters may seem minimal, Larsen explains that the consequences of ground movements around Norway can be heavy, especially if there are unstable mountain groups.

– If you measure two to three centimeters for many years, you start talking about meters. And then, things can start to relax, "Larsen told NRK.

Currently, InSAR only displays data from 2015 to today. Over the years, satellites will update the map and improve it further.

Ten years of development

The researchers who developed the new mapping service aim to sell it to the EU. The development took ten years.

"I'm happy, I was expecting this type of data to be accessible to everyone," said lead researcher John Dehls at NGU.

– It is only the first launch, it will be improved, especially when we will have more data. Over time, more and more data will be obtained and the result will be better, says Norut Senior Researcher Yngvar Larsen.