Asynchronous RTK method for detecting the stability of the reference station in GNSS deformation monitoring

Abstract

The real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning technique of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) has been widely used for deformation monitoring in the past several decades. The RTK technique can provide relative displacements in a local reference frame defined by a highly stable reference station. However, the traditional RTK solution does not account for reference stations that experience displacement. This presents a challenge for establishing a near real-time GNSS monitoring system, as since the displacement of a reference station can be easily misinterpreted as a sign of rapid movement at the monitoring station. In this study, based on the reference observations in different time domains, asynchronous and synchronous RTK are proposed and applied together to address this issue, providing more reliable displacement information. Using the asynchronously generated time difference of a reference frame, the proposed approach can detect whether a measured displacement has occurred in the reference or the monitoring station in the current epoch. This allows for the separation of reference station movements from monitoring station movements. The results based on both simulated and landslide monitoring data demonstrate that the proposed method can provide reliable displacement determinations, which are critical in deformation monitoring applications, such as the early warning of landslides.