GPS-Based System for Displacement Monitoring

摘要

In recent years, monitoring systems have shifted towards ever more automatic and autonomous operation. Moreover, technologies and instruments are available to reliably interconnect distributed components. Specifically, the measurement, logging, data processing and interpretation activities may be carried out by separate units at different locations in near real-time. Building on the results of a previous development project, which focused on land movement monitoring with GPS, the system has been generalized to accommodate a range of other sensors. In particular a laser distance meter has been integrated. First results confirm an expected increase in robustness of the combined measurement network, which is particularly important in unfavorable stand-alone GPS reception conditions. Due to the modular architecture of the system, other sensor types may be supported with minimal effort. Examples range from simple inclinometers to motorized theodolites. Measurements are transmitted via cellular or point-to-point radio links to a Control Unit, which provides for post-processing and network management. The Control Unit may be remotely accessed via an Internet connection. The resulting system is characterized by autonomy, reliability and a high degree of automation.