OPUS for Horizontal Subcentimeter-Accuracy Landslide Monitoring: Case Study in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Region
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 3
Abstract
This study demonstrates the usefulness of an approach based on the Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) provided by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to process Global Positioning System (GPS) data and conduct long-term landslide monitoring in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands region. Continuous GPS data collected at a creeping landslide site during 2 years were used to evaluate different scenarios for landslide surveying: continuous or campaign, long duration or short duration, morning or afternoon (during different weather conditions). OPUS uses the Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network managed by the NGS as control points and user-collected data to solve for the position of the occupied station (rover). In July 2011, there were 19 NGS CORS sites in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands region. This dense GPS network provided a precise and reliable reference frame for subcentimeter-accuracy landslide monitoring in this region. OPUS static solutions (OPUS-S) for sessions as short as 4 h, and OPUS rapid static solutions (OPUS-RS) for sessions as short as 15 min, can achieve subcentimeter horizontal accuracy if the collection of data during extreme weather conditions is avoided. The uncertainty (peak-to-peak error) reported by a single OPUS-S solution differs from the “true” accuracy by a factor of 1.7 for the horizontal components and 1.3 for the vertical component. The uncertainty reported by a single OPUS-RS solution differs from the accuracy by a factor of 1.4 for horizontal components, while the uncertainty of vertical component statistically agrees with the vertical accuracy. This study also indicates that rainfall events can seriously degrade the performance of high-accuracy GPS. Field GPS landslide surveying should avoid rainfall episodes when accompanied by thunderstorms and the passage of detrimental weather fronts. Once appropriate precautions are taken, the results of this investigation show that OPUS-S and OPUS-RS are ideal alternative tools for subcentimeter-accuracy landslide monitoring.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank Neil Weston, Giovanni Sella, and the OPUS team at NGS for cooperation during several phases of this research. The scripts for uploading GPS files automatically to OPUS were originally written by Francisco Hernández. We appreciate his contribution. G. W. acknowledges Robert W. King at MIT for his assistance in running GAMIT/GLOBK and Ana Vicky Sanchez at USGS for providing rainfall data at USGS weather station 50115230. Graduate student Félix O. Rivera and many geology and civil engineering undergraduates assisted in maintaining the continuous GPS monitoring station. Their hard work in the field is recognized. This study was funded by a NSF project (EAR-0842314). The two continuous GPS receivers at the landslide area were supplied by UNAVCO (http://www.unavco.org) through its Equipment Loan Program. We thank Jim Normandeau, Frederick Blume, and Charles Meertens (UNAVCO) for their technical support. The major part of this investigation was completed while G. W. was an Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.
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Published In
Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 3 • August 2012
Pages: 143 - 153
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 11, 2011
Accepted: Dec 29, 2011
Published online: Jan 2, 2012
Published in print: Aug 1, 2012
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