Progress in GTEWS Ground Displacement Measurements and Tsunami Warning

Abstract

Since its early days, GNSS has been employed for the monitoring of sudden ground movements, such as earthquakes. Its use as a tool to enhance tsunami detection was boosted after analysis of data following the December 2004 Great Ocean Indian Tsunami. The contribution of GNSS towards tsunami warning systems is possible due to several factors, such as advances in the measurement of crustal displacement, developments in GNSS methodology, the growing availability of real-time data streams and advances in processing power and communication means. The paper focuses on the progress of Global Navigation Satellite System Tsunami Early Warning Systems (GTEWS) identifying current implementations and future directions and challenges. The discussion leads to the conclusion that the GNSS technology already satisfies requirements of tsunami early warning systems and that the major hurdles are with other aspects, such as optimal network configuration, real-time flow of data, communication infrastructure, and national and international collaboration. The paper ends highlighting the important role that the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) can play to help overcoming those hurdles.