Estimating and Comparing Dam Deformation Using Classical and GNSS Techniques.

Area of Science:

• Geodesy
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Civil Engineering

Background:

• Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are increasingly vital for infrastructure monitoring due to enhanced precision and data availability.
• Traditional monitoring methods, like pendulums, offer valuable data but can be limited in spatial and temporal coverage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-estimated displacements with pendulum data for dam monitoring.
• To assess the efficacy of GNSS technology in capturing dam structural movements.

Main Methods:

• Time series data from GNSS and pendulum measurements over 2.5 years were collected for the Eleonora D'Arborea (Cantoniera) dam.
• Analytical models were developed to fit and compare the displacement data from both monitoring techniques.

Main Results:

• Both GNSS and pendulum data were accurately fitted by the analytical models, with a standard deviation of residuals below one millimeter.
• The study demonstrated the capability of GNSS to achieve high-precision displacement measurements comparable to pendulum systems.

Conclusions:

• GNSS technology is a viable and effective tool for dam monitoring.
• GNSS enables a more comprehensive spatial and temporal description of dam displacements compared to pendulum-based systems.