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The country of Libya, situated on the Mediterranean fault zone, has a distinctive geodynamic regime due to the interplay between the Eurasian and African plates, which governs its tectonic evolution. In addition to its seismological significance, Libya is characterized by numerous subsidence and slope instabilities in regions with steep terrain. These geological phenomena have significant consequences for the built environment, as they pose an immediate danger to entire towns and essential infrastructure. Furthermore, infrequent weather phenomena, such as intense precipitation and thunderstorms, when coupled with the geological characteristics of some regions and the presence of seismically active terrain, have the potential to trigger landslide and land subsidence, resulting in significant harm to vital infrastructure. The current study utilizes the DInSAR technology to identify distinct subsidence occurrences that were induced by intense precipitation in coastal regions of Libya, specifically in Derna. These areas experienced significant flooding resulting in collapses during September 2023. A total of six pairs of co-event Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) were utilized to generate displacement maps in the vertical, north-east, and north-west directions for the purpose of analysing the deformations. The aforementioned activities are conducted via Sentinel-1A images, which is freely accessible through the Copernicus program. Additionally, flood-prone zones were defined using Sentinel-1 GRD imagery. The Interferometric processing revealed multiple areas of subsidence. Subsidence rates of up to −14 cm were found in Derna city's urban cores after flood. The findings suggest that subsidence may have an effect on the flood-proneness of the region of Derna City as Ground subsidence also occurred in the period immediately before the earthquake, at a rate of −14 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile mapping vehicles, equipped with cameras, laser scanners (in this paper referred to as light detection and ranging, LiDAR), and positioning systems are limited to acquiring surface data. However, in this paper, a method to fuse both LiDAR and 3D ground penetrating radar (GPR) data into consistent georeferenced point clouds is presented, allowing imaging both the surface and subsurface. Objects such as pipes, cables, and wall structures are made visible as point clouds by thresholding the GPR signal's Hilbert envelope. The results are verified with existing utility maps. Varying soil conditions, clutter, and noise complicate a fully automatized approach. Topographic correction of the GPR data, by using the LiDAR data, ensures a consistent ground height. Moreover, this work shows that the LiDAR point cloud, as a reference, increases the interpretability of GPR data and allows measuring distances between above ground and subsurface structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar Corner Reflectors (CR) are increasingly used as reference targets for land surface deformation measurements with the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique. When co-located with ground-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) infrastructure, InSAR observations at CR can be used to integrate relative measurements of surface deformation into absolute reference frames defined by GNSS. However, CR are also a potential source of GNSS multipath effects and may therefore have a detrimental effect on the GNSS observations. In this study, we compare daily GNSS coordinate time series and 30-second signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) observations for periods before and after CR deployment at a GNSS site. We find that neither the site coordinates nor the SNR values are significantly affected by the CR deployment, with average changes being within 0.1 mm for site coordinates and within 1 % for SNR values. Furthermore, we generate empirical site models by spatially stacking GNSS observation residuals to visualise and compare the spatial pattern in the surroundings of GNSS sites. The resulting stacking maps indicate oscillating patterns at elevation angles above 60 degrees which can be attributed to the CR deployed at the analysed sites. The effect depends on the GNSS antenna used at a site with the magnitude of multipath patterns being around three times smaller for a high-quality choke ring antenna compared to a ground plane antenna without choke rings. In general, the CR-induced multipath is small compared to multipath effects at other GNSS sites located in a different environment (e. g. mounted on a building). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing measurement data is an essential part of surveying engineering. One can list several methods in such a context: least squares estimation, M-estimation, R-estimation, etc. Some methods were developed by surveyors, e.g., the Danish method, IGG scheme, or Msplit estimation. The last method is, in fact, a class of estimation procedures dedicated to different problems. As a new approach to processing data, Msplit estimation is still being developed and improved. That paper concerns the local robustness of Msplit estimation and introduces a new Msplit estimation variant that is less sensitive to local outliers. Such a property seems important, especially in big data processing, such as observations from Light Detection and Ranging systems. The new variant modifies the squared Msplit estimation (SMS estimation) by implementing the adapted Tukey weight function, hence its acronym SMSTL estimation. The basic theoretical and empirical analyses, which were performed for the univariate model using, among others, the appropriate measures of robustness, confirmed the expected property of the method. The further tests, based on simulated as well as real data, show that the new method might overperform other Msplit estimation variants and classical methods for the chosen types of observation sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on how to use satellite interferometry to detect linear discontinuous ground deformation [LDGD] caused by underground mining. Assumptions were made based on the properties of the SAR signal correlation coefficient (coherence). Places of LDGD have been identified based on these assumptions. Changes taking place on the surface between two acquisitions lead to worse correlation between two radar images. This results in lower values of the SAR signal correlation coefficient in the coherence maps. Therefore, it was assumed that the formation of LDGD could reduce the coherence value compared to the previous state. The second assumption was an increase in the standard deviation of coherence, which is a classic measurement of variability. Therefore any changes in the surface should lead to increasing standard deviation of coherence compared to the previous state. Images from the Sentinel-1 satellite and provided by the ESA were used for analysis. The research is presented on the basis of two research areas located in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in the south of Poland. The area in which LDGD could occur was limited to 6 % of the total area in case 1 and 36 % in case 2 by applying an appropriate methodology of satellite image coherence analysis. This paper is an introduction to the development of a method of detecting LDGDs caused by underground mining and to study these issues further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Displacements in typical monitoring applications occur in 3D but having sensors capable of measuring such 3D deformations with areal coverage is rare. One way could be to combine three or more line-of-sight measurements carried out from different locations at the same time and derive 3D displacement vectors. Automotive Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output Synthetic Aperture Radar (MIMO-SAR) systems are of interest for such monitoring applications as they can acquire line-of-sight displacement measurements with areal coverage and are associated with low cost and high flexibility. In this paper, we present a set of algorithms deriving 3D displacement vectors from line-of-sight displacement measurements while applying spatial and temporal least squares adjustments. We evaluated the algorithms on simulated data and tested them on experimentally acquired MIMO-SAR acquisitions. The results showed that especially spatial parametric and non-parametric least squares adjustments worked very well for typical displacements occurring in geomonitoring and structural monitoring (e.g. tilting, bending, oscillating, etc.). The simulations were confirmed by an experiment, where a corner cube was moved step-wise. The results show that acquisitions of off-the-shelf automotive-grade MIMO-SAR systems can be combined to derive 3D displacement vectors with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of terrestrial radar interferometry (TRI) for deformation monitoring are restricted by the influence of changing meteorological conditions contaminating the potentially highly precise measurements with spurious deformations. This is especially the case when the measurement setup includes long distances between instrument and objects of interest and the topography affecting atmospheric refraction is complex. These situations are typically encountered with geo-monitoring in mountainous regions, e.g. with glaciers, landslides or volcanoes. We propose and explain an approach for the mitigation of atmospheric influences based on the theory of intrinsic random functions of order k (IRF-k) generalizing existing approaches based on ordinary least squares estimation of trend functions. This class of random functions retains convenient computational properties allowing for rigorous statistical inference while still permitting to model stochastic spatial phenomena which are non-stationary in mean and variance. We explore the correspondence between the properties of the IRF-k and the properties of the measurement process. In an exemplary case study, we find that our method reduces the time needed to obtain reliable estimates of glacial movements from 12 h down to 0.5 h compared to simple temporal averaging procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, rapid growth in infrastructure development and urbanisation process increases the attention for accurate deformation monitoring on a relatively large-scale. Furthermore, such deformation monitoring is of great importance in the assessment and management of natural hazard processes like landslides, earthquakes, and floods. In this study, the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique is applied using open-source Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the satellite Sentinel-1. It allows point-wise deformation monitoring based on time series analysis of specific points. It also enables performing spatio-temporal area-based deformation monitoring. Currently, these data do not have a sophisticated quality assurance process to judge the significance of deformations. To obtain different quality classes of the Persistent Scatterer (PS) data points, the first step is to classify them into buildings and ground types using LoD2 building models. Next, time series analysis of the PS points is performed to model systematic and random errors. It allows estimation of the offset and the deformation rate for each point. Finally, spatio-temporal modelling of neighbourhood relations of the PS points is carried out using local geometric patches which are approximated with a mathematical model, such as, e.g., multilevel B-Splines. Subsequently, the quality of SAR data from temporal and spatial neighbourhood relations is checked. Having an appropriate spatio-temporal quality model of the PS data, a deformation analysis is performed for areas of interest in the city of Hamburg. In the end, the results of the deformation analysis are compared with the BodenBewegungsdienst Deutschland (Ground Motion Service Germany) provided by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the dynamic testing of a roadway, single-span, cable-stayed bridge for a sequence of static load and ambient vibration monitoring scenarios. Deck movements were captured along both sideways of the bridge using a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and a Ground-based Microwave Interfererometer (GBMI) system. Cable vibrations were measured at a single point location on each of the six cables using the GBMI technique. Dynamic testing involves three types of analyses; firstly, vibration analysis and modal parameter estimation (i. e., natural frequencies and modal shapes) of the deck using the combined DIC and GBMI measurements. Secondly, dynamic testing of the cables is performed through vibration analysis and experimental computation of their tension forces. Thirdly, the mechanism of cable-deck dynamic interaction is studied through their Power Spectra Density (PSD) and the Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) analyses. Thereby, the global (deck and cable) and local (either deck or cable) bridge modes are identified, serving a concrete benchmark of the current state of the bridge for studying the evolution of its structural performance in the future. The level of synergy and complementarity between the GBMI and DIC techniques for bridge monitoring is also examined and assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time positioning in suburban and urban environments has been a challenging task for many Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications. In these environments, positioning using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) cannot provide continuous solutions due to the blockage of signals in harsh scenarios. Consequently, it is intrinsic to have an independent positioning system capable of providing accurate and reliable positional solutions over GNSS outages. This study exploits the integration of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), gyroscope, and odometer sensors, and a novel real-time algorithm is proposed for this integration. Real field data, collected by a moving land vehicle, is used to test the presented algorithm. Three simulated GNSS outages are introduced in the trajectory such that each outage lasts for five minutes. The results show that using the proposed algorithm can achieve a promising navigation performance in urban environments. In addition, it is shown that the denser environments, that existed over the second and third outages, can provide better positioning accuracies as more features are extracted. The horizontal errors over the first outage, with less density of surroundings, reached 7.74 m (0.43%) error with a mean value of 3.15 m. Moreover, the horizontal errors in the denser environments over the second and third outages reached 4.97 m (0.28%) and 3.99 m (0.23%), with mean values of 2.25 m and 1.89 m, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results demonstrate that the proposed image segmentation methodology improves the monitoring of block displacements in terms of accuracy and also reduces the required analysis time. Since TLS has become an important technique for deformation monitoring, the following four papers discuss important aspects which need to be considered if TLS observations are employed for deformation monitoring. Deformation monitoring is a crucial contribution of geodesy to modern society and the economy. [Extracted from the article]

The new generation RFID-Radar system provides the function of detecting the targets' locations with the measurements of range and angle using a reader and an antenna array to transmit and receive the RF signals. It enhances the application value for RFID when combined with the geospatial information. In this study, an information system embedded with a plan coordinate detection function was developed using the spatial data provided by the RFID-Radar system, to expand the application of indoor locating and meet the inventory management requirements. The in-house developed management system can work for processing the measurements detected by the RFID-Radar system, calculating the target's location, checking the target's status and analyzing the target's movement occurring between the two detecting epochs through a designed GUI (graphical user interface). The system has been tested to show an internal precision of 0.76 m for locating, based on the stability test of the range and angle measurements, and effectively demonstrates the functions for detecting the target's movement and archiving the inventory's management information with a database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS), launched on 24 January 2006, is a Japanese satellite carrying an L-band SAR sensor, namely the PALSAR, which is expected to demonstrate good performance in applications such as crustal deformation measurement, subsidence detection and landslide monitoring. This paper describes a case study of Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) using ALOS/PALSAR data to detect crustal deformation caused by a recent small earthquake in Western Australia. Single Look Complex (SLC) images acquired by the ALOS/PALSAR sensor were used to measure the co-seismic deformation of the 9 October 2007 earthquake that occurred south of the town of Katanning, in the state of Western Australia. Three images with dual polarizations (HH & HV) were used in this study; two acquired before the earthquake event and one after. The two-pass DInSAR processing method was applied to generate differential interferograms. The peak-to-peak surface displacement is up to 32 centimetres in the radar line-of-sight direction. The interferograms were used to constrain the fault modelling. The co-seismic displacements were modelled using a two-segment uniform slip model in a homogeneous isotropic half-space. A genetic algorithm was used to determine the optimal source parameters for the nonlinear inversion. The resultant maximum slip is about 0.4 metres on an almost pure reverse fault striking ~NE55°° and dipping at ~40°°S. The scalar moment was estimated to be 1:84 ×× 1016 Nm ( Mw4.8), which is in good agreement with the seismological results. The root-mean-square difference between the DInSAR observed and modelled displacements is 1.6 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) was revolutionary because it generated global digital elevation model (DEM) using space-borne radar imaging technology. The SRTM mapped almost 80 percent of the Earth's surface to a 1-arc-second (~30 m) resolution, but generated a lower resolution 3-arc-second (~90 m) DEM. Currently, the low resolution SRTM DEM is updated and interpolated using other higher resolution DEMs obtained from different sources or techniques, such as InSAR, photogrammetry, and airborne laser scanning. Of the many DEM techniques, the InSAR DEM generation technique is recommended due to the large-coverage and the fact that it is a similar technique to that used for the SRTM DEM. This paper describes a method for updating the SRTM DEM, using InSAR DEM based on the coherence value selection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the potential of microwave radar interferometry for monitoring the dynamic behaviour of large civil engineering works. It provides an overview of the method, its principles of operation with particular emphasis given on the IBIS-S system. Two areas of application are considered and the results of the analyses are presented and discussed. The first experimental study involves the monitoring of the dynamic response of a tall power plant chimney due to wind load. The second example examines the dynamic behaviour of a long cable-stayed bridge. In this case, the focus is placed on the effects that individual traffic events impose on the vibration response of the main span of the bridge deck and the bridge pylons. Analysis of the results provides detailed displacement time-histories and the dominant frequencies observed at the top of the chimney and along the bridge deck and the top of the towers. Also, cross-comparisons and discussions with the results obtained at the same structures using different sensor configurations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The access to the high resolution digital terrain models (DEM) generated from the data collected by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) of NASA is freely available to the public. Consequently it has become a source of topographic information which is of great value to scientists involved in geophysical or geodetic analysis. Despite the efforts of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), to validate and complement the information contained in these DEMs (currently offered as version 4.1), they still need to be checked for their accuracy in certain regions of the planet. In this paper, the vertical accuracy of the SRTM 3" version 4.1 DEM was analyzed in several areas of Peru using two sets of control points: the height of the district capitals (the minor politics units) and the heights of the weather and hydrological stations from the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (SENAMHI) of Peru. The comparison shows that the height differences are independent of the altitude, latitude and longitude of the evaluated points. They are rather related to the aspect of the terrain and to the way the SRTM data were acquired. It shows that the mean square of the height differences at national level was ±20 m for district capitals and ±25 m for the SENAMHI stations. This is slightly larger than the overall accuracy of the SRTM ±16 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an iterative matching method to improve a direct geo-referencing approach for stationary terrestrial 3D laser scans by means of the positional and transformational uncertainties of two 3D point clouds. In this approach, a geo-referenced point cloud from a station inherits the following stochastic information: (1) transformational uncertainties from processed GNSS data through the Kalman filter and (2) positional uncertainties through the range and angular uncertainties from the terrestrial laser scanner as well as the incident angle of the laser beam to a surface. This stochastic information from two (pre-) geo-referenced 3D point clouds is implemented within a novel iterative matching algorithm, named Geo-referencing ICP with Helmert 3D transformation, for subsequent post-processing procedures such as segmentation and further calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its global coverage and all-weather imaging capability, Interferometric SAR (InSAR) has been revolutionizing our ability to image the Earth's surface and the evolution of its shape over time. In turn, this has led to many new insights into geophysical and engineering processes, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides and mining activity. In this study, we used an advanced InSAR time series technique to map ground motion of an area in Northern Tibet using ENVISAT images acquired between 2003 and 2007. In order to minimise the effects of baseline decorrelation, a subset of possible pairs having a perpendicular baseline (i.e. orbital separation) of less than 400 m was chosen for the InSAR time series analysis. The time series results reveal an ''unexpected'' nonlinear ground motion: the area of interest was relatively stable during the period from 2003 to the middle of 2004, whilst it has exhibited a nearly linear uplift of about 8 cm since the middle of 2004. Examination of high-resolution ALOS PRISM images shows that the uplift signal occurred over the Huatugou oil field and is most likely caused by water injection. This study highlights the potential of InSAR as an early detection tool of surface deformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One fundamental component of early warning systems for natural hazards is displacement monitoring. Spaceborne SAR Interferometry has proven to be a powerful remote sensing tool for this task. Lately new ground-based SAR instruments are available. Their application field is wide and they combine high resolution and accuracy with the classical benefits of remote sensing techniques. Here, the principles of the microwave interferometer IBIS are presented, as well as its advantages and disadvantages compared to common monitoring techniques. IBIS can be operated in two modes: IBIS-S is a microwave interferometer capable of high frequency displacement monitoring of buildings and structures (up to 200 Hz); IBIS-L is a ground-based SAR for long-term displacement monitoring of buildings and natural phenomena as landslides, glaciers, etc. Exemplary three applications are presented: the use of IBIS-S for dynamic monitoring of a chimney; the use of IBIS-L for displacement monitoring in an active quarry and the long-term operation of IBIS-L as part of a ''Volcano Fast Response System'' (VFRS) on an active volcano. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shipyard ''Meyer Werft'' at Papenburg (Germany) is building large cruise liners for customers from all over the world. However, Papenburg is connected to the North Sea only by the small river Ems. Consequently, the navigation of the first 36 km of each large ship poses a serious problem. The position and orientation of the ship must be computed accurately at any time. The track of the ship must also be predicted over the next several minutes in order to derive commands to the pilot. We propose a prediction method based on filtering the observations when the ship rolls due to wind and manoeuvring forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a critical space-borne geospatial infrastructure providing essential positioning supports to a range of location-sensitive applications. GNSS is currently dominated by the US Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation. The next generation GNSS is expected to offer more satellites, better positioning provision, and improved availability and continuity of navigation support. However, GNSS performance in 3-D urban environments is problematic because GNSS signals are either completely blocked or severely degraded by high-rising geographic features like buildings. The aim of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the changing spatial patterns of GNSS performance, measured by the number of visible satellites (NVS) and position dilution-of-precision (PDOP), in the urban canyons of Melbourne, Australia. The methodology used includes the following steps: (1) determination of the dynamic orbital positions of current and future GNSS satellites; (2) development of a 3-D urban model of high geometric quality for Melbourne Central Business District (CBD); (3) evaluation of GNSS performance for every specified location in the urban canyons; and (4) visualisation and characterisation of the dynamic spatial patterns of GNSS performances in the urban canyons. As expected, the study shows that the integration of the GPS and Galileo constellations results in higher availability and stronger geometry, leading to significant improvement of GNSS performance in urban canyons of Melbourne CBD. Some conclusions are drawn and further research currently undertaken is also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wadi Hagul region in the eastern desert of Egypt is facing seismic hazards and increased human activity. This study uses remote sensing and geodetic methods to monitor and analyze recent deformation in the area. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data from the Sentinel-1A satellite and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data were combined to track surface movements and deformations accurately. The study analyzed InSAR data from February 4, 2020, to February 07, 2024, and GNSS data from the Wadi Hagul geodetic network established in July 2022 and monitored until January 2024. Despite the relatively short GNSS monitoring period, it provided valuable insights into recent deformation trends. By integrating data from ten GNSS stations, including International Geodetic stations (IGS), and InSAR scenes from the Sentinel-1A mission, the study estimated recent ground deformation in the region. The main objectives were to analyze recent crustal movements by identifying spatial and temporal patterns of deformation and assess implications for geological processes. In Key Findings, horizontal movement fluctuates between 0.5 and 2.5 ± 0.1 mm annually across the geodetic network. The estimated velocity of the area was 1.5–2 ± 0.5 mm per year. Integrating GNSS and InSAR data helped calculate movement rates along fault lines and create a fault map. In conclusion, the results suggest that while current deformation rates are moderate, they could increase significantly due to human activity, leading to higher seismic activity and potential earthquakes. Limiting human activity in the region is advisable to prevent negative impacts on nearby populated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using GPS-levelling technique for height determination has been a very attractive method in recent years, due to rapid availability of high quality GPS positioning. With this method, a precise geoid is required to convert GPS ellipsoidal heights to orthometric heights. Conventionally, such a high quality local geoid is obtained through very dense gravity and GPS-levelling data (and other gravity related quantities, such as vertical deflections, gravity gradients). However, high quality and dense gravity and GPS-levelling data are not available for many developing countries, due to the cost and effort for such surveys. In this paper, a simple alternative method based on recent high quality global gravity and digital terrain models, which avoids the need of dense gravity and GPS-levelling data, is proposed. With this method, low and medium wavelength gravity field structures are estimated from the recent global gravity model, the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008), while the short wavelength structures are calculated from the latest global Digital Terrain Model (the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data). Residual topography reduced geoid undulation differences between GPS-levelling and EGM2008 are modeled as a trend and a corrective surface separately. As the GPS-levelling data used in this method is relatively sparse, an iterative cross-validation method is used to maximize the available data points in the corrective surface computation. As an example, a very rough region (in Canadian Rocky mountains) is selected to test this geoid determination method. The comparison of the geoid using the proposed method with the Canadian Gravimetric Geoid 2005 (CGG2005) in absolute and relative sense shows a slight improvement and the new geoid is able to be used to support GPS-levelling in the second and third order height networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Department of Lands (DOL), Thailand, has adopted the Network-based Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveying technique using a Virtual Reference Station (VRS) to support cadastral surveys since 2011. Determining accurate coordinates of parcel boundary markers at building corners or near fences and walls is difficult because a GNSS range pole cannot be leveled with a circular bubble. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the receivers equipped with tilt sensors for horizontal and vertical positioning. Two types of tilt sensors used for evaluation were a magnetometer and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Conducting the NRTK GNSS surveying tests was based on the pole tilt angles of 0°, 15°, 25°, 35°, and 45° from a plumb line in controlled and obstructed environments. The IMU-based tilt sensor had more advantage of accurately positioning over the MEMS sensor. The results showed that using the IMU, better than 4 cm horizontal positioning accuracy was achievable when the pole was tilted by 15° or less under non-multipath and open-sky conditions. The vertical accuracy was of a few centimeter levels and least sensitive to tilt angles using either type of sensor. However, none of the sensors precisely compensated for pole tilt in strong-multipath and complex environments, causing increased horizontal errors in decimeter levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are real-world geographical databases that are important in studying many Earth related topics. Because the vertical accuracy of global DEMs differs across regions due to various reasons, acquiring reliable heights for a region using global height models is crucial. The objective of this study is to compare and assess the most reliable global height model for Sri Lanka. The official height system in Sri Lanka is the Mean Sea Level (MSL) based orthometric height system. In this study, the quality of ASTER, SRTM, NASADEM, MERIT, and DEMs compiled from digitized contour data of Sri Lanka was evaluated using the known heights of the Fundamental Benchmarks (FBMs) of Sri Lanka. In addition, recently published high-resolution Global Geopotential Models (GGMs) were used for the accuracy assessments of gravity related quantities computed using DEMs. The SGG-UGM-2 GGM, which showed the minimum STD and RMSE of geoid undulation difference was found as the best fit GGM over Sri Lanka. It was found that the NASADEM at its highest resolution, which gave the lowest RMSE of 2.954 m was the best global DEM for Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionospheric scintillations due to plasma irregularities can severely affect the modern dynamic and technological systems whose operations rely on satellite-based navigation systems. We investigate the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation in the equatorial and low latitude region over Malaysia after the 2011 Valentine's Day solar flare. A network of three Global Ionospheric Scintillation and Total Electron Content Monitor (GISTM) GSV4004B receivers with increasing latitudes from the magnetic equator were used to monitor ionospheric TEC, rate of change of TEC index (ROTI), and amplitude (S4) as well as phase (σφ) scintillation indices. The results show a simultaneous sudden rise in S4 and σφ along with a significant depletion of TEC at all three locations. However, the largest enhancement of scintillation indices accompanying a substantial TEC depletion is observed at the farthest low latitude station (UNIMAS) from the equator with values around 0.5, 0.3 rad, and 1 TECU, respectively. The corresponding values at the near-equatorial station (Langkawi; 0.4, 0.2 rad, and 3 TECU) and intermediate station (UKM; 0.45, 0.3 rad, and 5 TECU) are examined along with ROTI variations, confirming the simultaneous occurrence of kilometer-scale and sub kilometer scale irregularities during 17 and 18 February 2011. The radiation effects of the solar flare on the ionosphere were prominently recognized at the local nighttime hours (around 14:00 to 17:00 UT) coinciding with the equatorial prereversal enhancement (PRE) time to seed the equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) enhancement that resulted in ionospheric irregularities over the low latitudes. The significant TEC depletion seen in the signals from selected GPS satellites (PRNs 11, 19, 23, and 32) suggests plausible degradation in the performance of GPS-based services over the Malaysian region. The study provides an effective understanding of the post-flare ionospheric irregularities during an episode of minor geomagnetic storm period and aligns with the efforts for mitigating the scintillation effects in space-based radio services over low latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gravitational effects of ocean tide loading, which are one of the main factors affecting gravity measurements, consist of three components: (1) direct attraction from the tidal water masses, (2) radial displacement of the observing station due to the tidal load, and (3) internal redistribution of masses due to crustal deformation. In this study, software for gravitational effects of ocean tide loading was developed by evaluating a convolution integral between the ocean tide model and Green's functions that describe the response of the Earth to tide loading. The effects of three-dimensional station coordinates, computational grid patterns, ocean tide models, Green's functions, coastline, and local tide gauge were comprehensively considered in the programming process. Using a larger number of high-precision coastlines, ocean tide models, and Green's functions, the reliability and applicability of the software were analyzed at coastal stations in the China Earthquake Gravity Network. The software can provide the amplitude and phase for ocean tide loading and produce a predicted gravity time series. The results can effectively reveal the variation characteristics of ocean tide loading in space and time. The computational gravitational effects of ocean tide loading were compared and analyzed for different ocean tide models and Green's functions. The results show that different ocean tide models and Green's functions have certain effects on the calculated values of loading gravity effects. Furthermore, a higher-precision local ocean tide model, digital elevation model, and local tidal gauge record can be further imported into our software to improve the accuracy of loading gravity effects in the global and local zones. The software is easy to operate and can provide a comprehensive platform for correcting the gravitational effects of ocean tide loading at stations in the China Earthquake Gravity Network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining a precise local geoid is particularly important for converting the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) heights to orthometric heights. The geometric method for computing the geoid has been extensively used for a comparatively small region, which, in some points, interpolates geoid heights based on GNSS-derived heights and levelling heights. Several considerations should be considered when using the geometric method to increase the accuracy of a local geoid. Kuwait is used as a test area in this paper to investigate several features of the geometric method. The achievable precision is one of these aspects, the role of the interpolation method, global geopotential models, and the influence of the topographic effect. The accuracy of the local geoid can be substantially enhanced by integrating a geopotential model with a digital terrain model of the research region. It is possible to get a precision of 2–3 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, the accuracy of airborne gravity data is evaluated based on the most recent Global Geopotential Models (GGM) and terrestrial gravity data to find out to what extent these data are acceptable to be used in multi-applications (e. g., geodesy and geophysics). To achieve this goal, the remove-compute-restore (RCR) scheme, upward, and downward continuation operational methods (least square collocation and fast Fourier transform procedures) are applied. The airborne gravity data had been acquired by the Egyptian Nuclear Material Authority (ENMA) in the central-western desert for geological applications. Firstly, three GGMs models (EGM2008, EIGEN-6C4 and XGM2019e up to various degrees) are used to compare with the free-air airborne gravity anomaly, The EGM2008 model up to degree 720 produces the smallest mean and STD difference values with 2.59 and 3.07 mGal, respectively. The terrestrial gravity data are compared with the airborne gravity anomaly at both flight and ground levels. In-flight level, the terrestrial gravity data are upward continued to the flight level and compared with the airborne gravity anomaly. The statistical results show that the mean and STD differences are about 4.2 and 0.75 mGal, respectively. While in-ground level evaluation, two operational techniques are used to downward continue the airborne gravity data (Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Least Squares Collocation (LSC)). The combined Satellite model EGM2008 up to degree 720 and SRTM 30 m are used to remove and restore the long and short-wavelength information. It is observed that the collocation gives better statistical results than FFT with mean and STD difference values are about 3.13 and 1.13 and mGal, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying off-fault deformation in the near field remains a challenge for earthquake monitoring using geodetic observations. We propose an automated change detection strategy using geometric primitives generated using a deep neural network, random sample consensus and least squares adjustment. Using mobile laser scanning point clouds of vineyards acquired after the magnitude 6.0 2014 South Napa earthquake, our results reveal centimeter-level horizontal ground deformation over three kilometers along a segment of the West Napa Fault. A fault trace is detected from rows of vineyards modeled as planar primitives from the accumulated coseismic response, and the postseismic surface displacement field is revealed by tracking displacements of vineyard posts modeled as cylindrical primitives. Interpreted from the detected changes, we summarized distributions of deformation versus off-fault distances and found evidence of off-fault deformation. The proposed framework using geometric primitives is shown to be accurate and practical for detection of near-field off-fault deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shanghai maglev is a very fast traffic tool, so it is very strict with the stability of the roadbed. However, the ground subsidence is a problem in Shanghai because of the poor geological condition and human-induced factors. So it is necessary to monitor ground subsidence in the area along the Shanghai maglev precisely and frequently. Traditionally, a precise levelling method is used to survey along the track. It is expensive and time consuming, and can only get the ground subsidence information on sparse benchmarks. Recently, the small baseline differential SAR technique plays a valuable part in monitoring ground subsidence, which can extract ground subsidence information with high spatial resolution in a wide area. In this paper, L-band ALOS PALSAR data and C-band Envisat ASAR data are used to extract ground subsidence information using the SBAS method in the Shanghai maglev area. The results show that the general pattern of ground subsidence from InSAR processing of two differential bands of SAR images is similar. Both results show that there is no significant ground subsidence on the maglev line. Near the railway line, there are a few places with subsidence rates at about -20 mm/y or even more, such as Chuansha town, the junction of the maglev and Waihuan road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ionospheric total electron content (TEC) severely impacts the positional accuracy of a single frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver at the equatorial latitudes. The ionosphere causes a frequency-dependent group delay in the GPS-ranging signals, which reduces the receiver's accuracy. Further, the variations in TEC due to various space weather phenomena make the ionosphere's behaviour nonhomogeneous and complex. Hence, developing an accurate forecast model that can track the dynamic behaviour of the ionosphere remains a challenge. However, advances in emerging data-driven algorithms have been found helpful in tracking non-stationary behavior in TEC. These models help forecast the delays in advance. The multivariate Vector Autoregression model (VAR) predicts the Ionospheric TEC in the proposed model. The prediction model uses input data compiled in real-time from the lag values of incoming TEC data and features extracted from TEC. The TEC is predicted in real-time and tested for different prediction intervals. The metrics – Mean Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are used for testing and validating the accuracy of the model statistically. Testing the predicted output accuracy is also done with the dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm by comparing it with the actual value obtained from the dual-frequency receiver. The model is tested for storm days of the year 2015 for Bangalore and Hyderabad stations and found to be reliable and accurate. A prediction interval of twenty-minute shows the highest accuracy with an error within 10 TECU for all the storm days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, a vector-autoregressive (VAR) process with multivariate t-distributed random deviations is incorporated into the Gauss-Helmert model (GHM), resulting in an innovative adjustment model. This model is versatile since it allows for a wide range of functional models, unknown forms of auto- and cross-correlations, and outlier patterns. Subsequently, a computationally convenient iteratively reweighted least squares method based on an expectation maximization algorithm is derived in order to estimate the parameters of the functional model, the unknown coefficients of the VAR process, the cofactor matrix, and the degree of freedom of the t-distribution. The proposed method is validated in terms of its estimation bias and convergence behavior by means of a Monte Carlo simulation based on a GHM of a circle in two dimensions. The methodology is applied in two different fields of application within engineering geodesy: In the first scenario, the offset and linear drift of a noisy accelerometer are estimated based on a Gauss-Markov model with VAR and multivariate t-distributed errors, as a special case of the proposed GHM. In the second scenario real laser tracker measurements with outliers are adjusted to estimate the parameters of a sphere employing the proposed GHM with VAR and multivariate t-distributed errors. For both scenarios the estimated parameters of the fitted VAR model and multivariate t-distribution are analyzed for evidence of auto- or cross-correlations and deviation from a normal distribution regarding the measurement noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous use of data repeated levelling measurements and continuous GNSS observations allows increasing the spatial resolution of geodynamics models. For this purpose, it is necessary to create a single network, a so-called hybrid network. This paper aims at examining the possibility of using scale-free network theory to determine the most relevant common points in hybrid networks using the distance criterion. Used on European network points: UELN (United European Levelling Network) and EPN (European Permanent GPS Network) and the regional network. In the hybrid network (UELN + EPN), 18 pseudo-nodal points with the highest number of links were identified. The accepted distance criterion shows that about 90 % of the EPN points can be used as common points. The application of the scale-free network theory allows determining the significance of points in a hybrid network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we estimate vertical land motion for 35 stations primarily located along the coastline of Portugal and Spain, using GPS time series with at least eight years of observations. Based on this set of GPS stations, our results show that vertical land motion along the Iberian coastline is characterized, in general, by a low to moderate subsidence, ranging from −2.2 mm yr−1 to 0.4 mm yr−1, partially explained by the glacial isostatic adjustment geophysical signal. The estimates of vertical land motion are subsequently applied in the analysis of tide gauge records and compared with geocentric estimates of sea level change. Geocentric sea level for the Iberian Atlantic coast determined from satellite altimetry for the last three decades has a mean of 2.5 ± 0.6 mm yr−1, with a significant range, as seen for a subset of grid points located in the vicinity of tide gauge stations, which present trends varying from 1.5 mm yr−1 to 3.2 mm yr−1. Relative sea level determined from tide gauges for this region shows a high degree of spatial variability, that can be partially explained not only by the difference in length and quality of the time series, but also for possible undocumented datum shifts, turning some trends unreliable. In general, tide gauges corrected for vertical land motion produce smaller trends than satellite altimetry. Tide gauge trends for the last three decades not corrected for vertical land motion range from 0.3 mm yr−1 to 5.0 mm yr−1 with a mean of 2.6 ± 1.4 mm yr−1, similar to that obtained from satellite altimetry. When corrected for vertical land motion, we observe a reduction of the mean to ∼1.9 ± 1.4 mm yr−1. Actions to improve our knowledge of vertical land motion using space geodesy, such as establishing stations in co-location with tide gauges, will contribute to better evaluate sea level change and its impacts on coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]