Processing of signals and images with specific reference to active microwave remote sensing via Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems. In this field has developed interferometric and differential interferometric techniques to monitor deformation and introduced the concept of semi-coherent integration of SAR data that led to the development of the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS algorithm). He participated in the testing and application of the SBAS algorithm for analysis of deformations originated from tectonic, volcanic and landslides phenomena.
He demonstrated for the first time the applicability of satellite SAR Tomography: this technique allows obtaining 3D images is such a way to permit the analysis of vertical scattering characteristics of ground targets. The 3D imaging techniques were then extended to the temporal dimension (4D imaging) to allow as well as following the temporal evolution of ground scatterers. Also in case in the case of the 4D imaging technique, differently known as differential tomography, he demonstrated, for the first time, its applicability with real satellite data. Moreover, in the field he has patented a technique that allows an advanced monitoring of urban areas and infrastructures.
His research activity has been extended to the development of SAR algorithms from airborne platform. In this area Gianfranco Fornaro is responsible for the Department of Earth and Environment of apparatus funds of the interferometric upgrading of the TELAER system.

Main research/industrial projects during last 5 years:

• Project for the constitution of Regional Center of Competence “Analysis and Monitoring of the Environmental Risk (AMRA)"
• Italian Space Agency Preliminary Project 2003 Earth Section "System for the Interpretation of SAR Images”.
• Italian Space Agency " Italian Vision for Moon Exploration Earth observation from the Moon", ASI I/042/06/0 in 2007.
• Telespazio grant agreement for the development of innovative techniques for the characterization of the territori by means of SAR interferometry and generation of super-resolution images within the COS-OT (Consorzio per Sviluppo dei Distretti Industriali per le Osservazioni della Terra).
• Project “System for Advanced Bistatic and Radar Interferometry Application (SABRINA)": ASI SABRINA.
• FP6 project "Land and Sea Integrated Monitoring for European Security (LIMES)", 2007-2010.
• Italian Space Agency Project "Landslide Risk Monitoring via EO data" (MORFEO), Landslides Civil Protection", 2007-2010

Gianfranco Fornaro graduated with honors in Electronic Engineering from the University of Naples "Federico II" in 1992 and has achieved at the same faculty the Ph.D. in Telecommunications in 1997.
Since 1993 he has collaborated with the Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA), previously called the Research Institute for Electromagnetism and Electronic Components (IREC), the National Research Council where he currently occupies the position of senior researcher. He has been adjunct professor of Signal Theory at the University of Reggio Calabria in the years 1996/97, 1997/98 and 1998/99, of Electrical Communications at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Cassino (FR) in the years 2000/01 and 2001/02, and of Electrical Communication (Master of Science in Telecommunications) at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Naples Federico II in the year 2002/2003.
In 2005 he served as an editor of the “Advances in Interferometric SAR processing” special issue of the EURASIP Journal on Applied Signal Processing (JASP)
Tutorial Lecturer at the European Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar (EUSAR) 2008. Friedrichshafen (Germania)
Scientific Commettee of the Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni (CNIT), from 2008.

• S. Perna, G. Fornaro, G. Franceschetti, “Airborne repeat pass interferometry with X-Band OrbiSAR data”, Atti della Fondazione Ronchi, Anno LX, nr.4, Luglio-Agosto 2005, 611-618.
• G. Fornaro, F. Serafino, “SAR Tomography with ERS data: application to the Napoli Area”, Atti della Fondazione Ronchi, Anno LX, nr.4, Luglio-Agosto 2005, 657-663.
• F. Casu, M. Manzo, P. Berardino, G. Fornaro, “The SBAS approach for Earth Surface Deformation Analysis”, Atti della Fondazione Ronchi, Anno LX, nr.4, Luglio-Agosto 2005, 611-618.
• G. Fornaro, E. Sansosti, A. Pauciullo: “Phase-Difference Based Multi-Channel Phase Unwrapping ”, IEEE Trans. Image Processing., vol.14, pp.960-972, July 2005.
• G. Fornaro, F. Serafino, F. Lombardini: “3D Multipass SAR Focusing: Experiments with Long-Term Spaceborne Data”, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens, April 2005, 43, 702-712.
• G. Fornaro, A. Monti Guarnieri, A. Pauciullo, S. Tebaldini, “Joint Multibaseline SAR Interferometry”, EURASIP Journal on Applied Signal Processing, 2005, 20, 1-11.
• G. Fornaro, G. Franceschetti, S. Perna, “Motion Compensation Errors: Effects on the Accuracy of Airborne SAR Images ”, IEEE Trans. Aerosp. Electon. Sys., vol.41, no.4, pp.1338-1352, Oct. 2005.
• G. Fornaro, G. Franceschetti,, S. Perna, “On Center-Beam approximation in SAR motion compensation”, IEEE Geosci. Remote Sensing Lett., vol.3, no.2, pp.276-280, Apr. 2006.
• G. Fornaro, A. Monti Guarnieri, A. Pauciullo, F. De Zan, “Maximum-likelihood multibaseline SAR Interferometry”, IEE Proc.-Radar Sonar Navig., 2006, vol. 153, no.3, 279-288.
• E. Sansosti, P. Berardino, M. Manunta, F. Serafino, G. Fornaro, “Geometrical SAR Image Registration”, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens, October 2006, vol. 44, no.10, 2861-2870.
• L. Cascini, S. Ferlisi, G. Fornaro, R. Lanari, D. Peduto, G. Zeni, “Subsidence monitoring in Sarno urban area via multitemporal DInSAR technique”, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 2006, vol. 27, no. 8, 1709-1716.
• G. Fornaro, F. Serafino, “Imaging of Single and Double Scatterers in Urban Areas via SAR Tomography”, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens, Dicembre 2006, vol. 44, no.12, 3497-3505.
• L. Cascini, S. Ferlisi, G. Fornaro, D. Peduto, M. Manunta, G. Zeni, "Low and high resolution differential interferometry monitoring of the Sarno urban area", Rivista Italiana di Telerilevamento, 2007, vol. 38, 23-33.
• Serafino, F., Fornaro, G., "Application of SAR tomography in urban area", Rivista Italiana di Telerilevamento, 2007, vol. 38, 47-57.
• L. Cascini, S. Ferlisi, D. Peduto, G. Fornaro, M. Manunta, "Analysis of a subsidence phenomenon via DInSAR data and geotechnical criteria". Italian Geotechnical Journal, Anno XLI, no.4, Dicembre 2007, 50-67.
• S. Perna, C. Wimmer, J. R. Moreira, G. Fornaro, "X-Band Airborne Differential Interferometry: Results of the OrbiSAR Campaign Over the Perugia Area", IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens, February 2008, vol. 46, no.2, 489-503.
• S. Atzori, M. Manunta, G. Fornaro, A. Ganas, S. Salvi, "Postseismic displacement of the 1999 Athens earthquake retrieved by the Differential Interferometry by Synthetic Aperture Radar time series", J. Geophys. Res., 113, B09309, doi:10.1029/2007JB005504, 2008
• G. Fornaro, D. Reale, F. Serafino, "Four-Dimensional SAR Imaging for Height Estimation and Monitoring of Single and Double Scatterers", IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., Jan. 2009, vol. 47 (1), 224-237
• G. Fornaro, A. Pauciullo, "LMMSE 3-D SAR Focusing", IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., Jan. 2009, 47 (1), pp. 214-223.
• G. Fornaro, A. Pauciullo, F. Serafino, “Deformation Monitoring over large areas with Multipass Differential SAR Interferometry: a new approach based on the use of Spatial Differences”, Int. Journal of Remote Sens.,. vol 30, no. 6, April2009, pp 1455 - 1478.
• De Maio, G. Fornaro, A. Pauciullo, "Detection of Single Scatterers in Multdimensional SAR Imaging", IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens, June 2009, 47 (7), pp. 2284-2997.