Network Rail and CATALYST Complete Satellite Risk Pilot

Network Rail and CATALYST (a PCI Geomatica brand) completed a 12-week exploratory pilot project on the Wessex Route in Britain. The pilot used satellite imagery, InSAR analytics, and meteorological forecasting to develop a prototype decision-support tool that identifies weather-driven risks such as flooding, vegetation fall-in, and ground deformation up to three days in advance. The prototype combines baseline vulnerability analysis with short-range weather forecasts and provides daily updates via an interactive dashboard. Early feedback from Network Rail operational users confirmed outputs were broadly consistent with known risk areas, with tree fall risk noted as particularly valuable. The methodology could be scaled network-wide and extended to additional hazards like wildfire risk.