Ecv ice Sheets Technical Proposal

John Peter Merryman Boncori

Born: December 2, 1980, London (UK).
Current position:

Researcher (project-based) at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), National Earthquake Centre, Rome, Italy.

Qualifications:

Jul. 2003, “Laurea” degree (5 years) in Communications Engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. The principal subjects of the study course were advanced mathematics, antennas and wave propagation, remote sensing. The graduation thesis title was: “Encoding SAR transponder and its maritime applications”

Mar. 2007 Ph.D. degree in Geoinformation from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. Ph.D. thesis title: “Error modelling for SAR interferometry and signal proccesing issues related to the use of an encoding SAR transponder”.
Experience:

Dr. Merryman Boncori has worked in the field of Synthetic Aperture radar since 2002, covering several different application fields, namely SAR image formation, Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) error characterization (modelling of tropospheric propagation delay and phase unwrapping errors), application of DInSAR, Multi Aperture Interferometry (MAI) and Offset-tracking to co-seismic motion retrieval and to ice-motion retrieval, Persistent Scatterer and Small Baseline InSAR techniques applied to inter- and post-seismic displacement retrieval, tropospheric delay compensations using numerical weather model data (mesoscale as well as global models).

Since 2013 he is a researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Rome, Italy. He serves as the main technical responsible for the INGV-ASI project MuSA (Use of Multiband Satellite SAR data for the Study of Crustal Deformation Related to the Seismic Cycle). Within this project he developed a Multi Aperture Interferometry processor, a Coherence tracking processor and a DInSAR atmospheric correction method based on ECMWF numerical weather model data, for the measurement of co-seismic displacement. He is currently extending the weather model corrections to the multi-temporal (Persistent Scatterer and Small Baseline) SAR techniques used for inter- and post-seismic measurements.
From 2010 to 2012 he was a research grant holder at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) on INGV-ASI project SiGRiS (System for the Management of Seismic Risk). He applied DInSAR and intensity offset-tracking to retrieve the co-seismic displacement for several seismic events, also in support of INGVs earthquake monitoring activities for the Italian Civil Protection Department. He used Persistent Scatterer and Small Baseline methods for the measurement of inter- and post-seismic displacement.
From 2006 to 2012 he was at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Copenhagen, Denmark, where he held the following positions

- Visiting Ph.D. student (Jan. 2006 – Oct. 2006)

- Post doctoral fellow (Nov. 2006 – Sep. 2008)

- Researcher - full time employed (Sep. 2008 – Jan. 2010)

- Researcher - part time employed (Jan. 2010 – Dec. 2011)
At DTU he was involved with significant responsabilities in several national and international projects:
- Within the ESA/ESRIN "ice_sheets_cci" project (ESA Climate Change Initiative): selection of the SAR data required for the project (10000 ERS, ENVISAT and ALOS acquisitions over Greenland) and manager of WP 2220 "Ice Velocity Algorithm Development", in which processing algorithms based on offset-tracking, DInSAR and MAI were developed and are currently being used to generate ice-sheet velocity maps for the CCI programme.
- Within the ESA/ESRIN PEPSI contract (Preparation of an advanced error prediction framework for SAR interferometry), Num. 4000100942/10/I-LG: development of techniques to exploit mesoscale numerical weather models generated by the Danish Meteorological Istitute (DMI) for InSAR error mitigation and characterization.
- Within the DTU-GEUS PROMICE (Project for Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet), funded by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS): development and delivery to GEUS of a DInSAR and offset-tracking processing named SUSIE (Scripts and Utilities for SAR Ice Motion Estimation) for ice velocity mapping.
- Within ESA/ESRIN 19482/06/I-OL, “Preparation of Interferometric SAR Processor –COISP”: development of tropospheric and phase unwrapping error models for InSAR; delivery to ESA of the IPP (Interferometric Post Processing) InSAR software.
Management:

Within the INGV-ASI MuSA project, he is the main scientific responsible for the project and the main INGV interface with ASI project manager S. Zoffoli.

Within the DTU-ESA/ESRIN ice_sheets_cci project, he was manager of WP2220 "Ice Velocity Algorithm Development", acting as the main interface between the DTU-Space department and the other consortium members.
Within DTU-ESA/ESRIN project PEPSI, contract no. 4000100942/10/I-LG, Dr. Merryman Boncori wrote the financial and technical proposals, had was the main scientific responsible. He served as the main interface with ESA and with the Danish Meteorological Institute responsible (Dr. H. Vedel) throughout the project.

Within the Danish national project PROMICE (Project for Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet), and the sub-contract between DTU and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Dr. Merryman Boncori was the main technical responsible and DTU interface with the GEUS project managers (Dr. A.P. Ahstrøm and Dr. S.B. Andersen).

Miscellaneous: Dr. Merryman Boncori serves as a reviewer of papers submitted to IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters and IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing.
He is author or co-author of over 20 journal papers and conference papers, and 20 technical reports.
Recent peer-reviewed papers:

1. 
   Paul F., and 24 others (in press): The Glaciers Climate Change Initiative: Algorithms for creating glacier area, elevation change and velocity products. Remote Sensing of Environment. Glaciers.
   
2. 
   Ahlstrøm A.P., Andersen S.B., Machguth M.L., Nick F.M., Joughin I., Reijmer C.H., van de Wal R. Merryman Boncori J.P., Citterio E., van As D., Fausto R.S., Hubbard A. (2013). Seasonal velocities of eight major marine-terminating outlet glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet from continuous in situ GPS instruments. Earth System Science Data Discussions, Vol. 6(1), pp. 27.
   
3. 
   Pezzo G., Merryman Boncori J.P., Tolomei C., Salvi S., Atzori S., Antonioli A., Trasatti E., Novali F., Serpelloni E., Candela L., Giuliani R. (2013). Coseismic deformation and source modeling of the may 2012 Emilia (northern Italy) earthquakes. Seismological Res. Lett., Vol. 84 (4), pp. 645.
   
4. 
   Atzori S., Tolomei C., Antonioli A., Merryman Boncori J.P., Bannister S., Trasatti E., Pasquali P., Salvi S. (2012). The 2010–2011 Canterbury, New Zealand, seismic sequence: Multiple source analysis from InSAR data and modeling. Journal of Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, Vol. 117, ISSN: 0148-0227, doi: 10.1029/2012JB009178
   
5. 
   Salvi S., Tolomei C., Merryman Boncori J.P.., Pezzo G., Atzori S., Antonioli A., Trasatti E., Giuliani R., Zoffoli S., Coletta A. (2012). Activation of the SIGRIS monitoring system for ground deformation mapping during the Emilia 2012 seismic sequence, using COSMO-SkyMed InSAR data. ANNALS OF GEOPHYSICS, vol. 55, ISSN: 2037-416X
   
6. 
   Mohr J.J. and Merryman Boncori J.P. (2008). An Error Prediction Framework for Interferometric SAR Data,. IEEE Trans. Geosc. Rem. Sens., Vol 46, pp. 1600-1613.
   
7. 
   Merryman Boncori J.P. and Schiavon G. (2008). Signal Processing Issues for the Exploitation of Pulseto-Pulse Encoding SAR transponders. IEEE Trans. Geosc. Rem. Sens., Vol 46, pp. 1048-1057.
   
8. 
   Merryman Boncori J.P. and Mohr J.J. (2008). A tunable closed form model for the structure function of tropospheric delay, IEEE Geosci. Rem. Sens. Lett., Vol. 5, pp. 222-226.
   

Recent conference proceedings:

Tolomei C., Trasatti E., Atzori S., Merryman Boncori J.P., Antonioli A., Pezzo G., Salvi S. (2012). The Mw 7.2 Van Earthquake (2011): co-seismic and post-seismic deformation imaged by DInSAR data, and source modeling, Geophys. Res. Abstracts, Vol 14, pp. EGU2012-2483, ISSN: 1029-7006.

Forsberg R., Sørensen L.S., Khan S.A., Aas C., Evensberget D., Adalsteindottir G., Mottram R., Andersen S.B., Ahlstrøm A., Dall J., Kusk A., Merryman Boncori J.P., Hvideberg C., Khvorostovsky K., Nagler T., Rott H., Scharrer K., Shepherd A., Ticconi F., Engdahl M. (2012), Ice_Sheets_CCI: Essential Climate Variables for the Greenland Ice Sheet., Geophys. Res. Abstracts, Vol. 14, pp. EGU2012-11732, ISSN: 1029-7006.

Salvi S., Atzori S., Tolomei C., Antonioli A., Trasatti E., Merryman Boncori J.P., Pezzo G., Coletta A., Zoffoli S. (2012). RESULTS FROM INSAR MONITORING OF THE 2010-2011 NEW ZEALAND SEISMIC SEQUENCE: EA DETECTION AND EARTHQUAKE TRIGGERING. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Munich (GER), 22-27 Jul., 2012. Munich, Germany, 22-27 July 2012, ISBN/ISSN: 978-1-4673-1160-1, doi: 10.1109/IGARSS.2012.6350654

Salvi S., Tolomei C., Atzori S., Merryman Boncori J.P., Pezzo G. (2012). INSAR MEASUREMENT OF CRUSTAL DEFORMATION TRANSIENTS FOR THE MONITORING OF THE EARTHQUAKE PREPARATION PROCESS. In: Gruppo Nazionale di Geofisica della Terra Solida (GNGTS), 31° Convegno Nazionale, Atti - Tema 2: Caratterizzazione sismica del territorio. Potenza (Italy), 20-22 novembre 2012, ISBN/ISSN: 978-88-902101-2-9

Pezzo G., Merryman Boncori J.P., Tolomei C., Salvi S., Atzori S., Antonioli A., Trasatti E., Novali F., Serpelloni E., Candela L., Giuliani R. (2012). THE EMILIA 2012 SEISMIC SEQUENCE: DEFORMATION AND SOURCE MODELLING FROM SAR AND GPS MEASUREMENTS. In: Gruppo Nazionale di Geofisica dell Terra Solida, 31° Convegno Nazionale, Atti - Tema 2: Caratterizzazione sismica del territorio. Potenza (Italy), 20-22 novembre 2012, ISBN/ISSN: 978-88-902101-2-9

Tolomei C., Atzori S., Merryman Boncori J.P., Pezzo G., Salvi S (2011). Investigating the seismic cycle in Italy by multitemporal analysis of ALOS and ERS/ENVISAT DInSAR data sets . In: Proceedings of IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Vancouver (CAN), 24-29 Jul. 2011, ISBN/ISSN: 978-1-4577-1003-2, doi: 10.1109/IGARSS.2011.6049717

Merryman Boncori J.P., Dall J., Ahlstrøm A.P., Andersen S.B. (2010). Validation and operational measurements with SUSIE – A SAR ice motion processing chain developed within promice (Programme for monitoring of Greenland ice-sheet). In: ESA SP-686 Proceedings of ENVISAT Living Planet Symposium. Bergen, Norway, 28 June – 2 July 2010, Huguette Lacoste ESA Communication Production Off, ISBN/ISSN: 978-92-9221-250-6