What is deformation monitoring and how is it used?

Deformation monitoring tracks the movement of a surface or object in response to stressors. It is often employed to monitor ground movements, such as subsidence or landslips, or assess civil infrastructure, such as dam walls, roads, or bridges.
Deformation monitoring is critical to ensure public safety. Knowing that there is movement underway provides information for authorities to issue warnings of potential ground movements. This means that people can move safely from the area before subsidence, landslides or other damaging incidents occur. Further, deformation monitoring can be utilised to provide assurance that public infrastructure is safe for ongoing use.
There are a range of deformation monitoring techniques used by surveyors, geotechnical engineers and civil engineers.
So, what is deformation monitoring and how is it used? Here is a guide to the processes and techniques of deformation monitoring.
Automatic Deformation Monitoring
Automatic deformation monitoring removes people from potentially unsafe environments. Once installed, smart-monitoring provides consistent data points and the potential for continuous or regular assessments. It provides information in real time.
Deformation Monitoring Techniques
Geodetic techniques measure a network of points to monitor angles and distances, thereby assessing ground or object locations. This is called georeferencing. They are used for absolute measurements that are assumed to be stable and unmoving. It can combine terrestrial measurements or space-based positions, including using GPS.
Deformation monitoring uses

Building deformation monitoring

Road deformation monitoring

Dam deformation monitoring

Road deformation monitoring

Geobotica has created solutions for deformation monitoring for use across industries. These include <bridge and building inspection>, <subsidence monitoring for tunnels>, and <road and rail deformation monitoring>.
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