Validation of the accuracy of geodetic automated measurement system based on GNSS platform for continuous monitoring of surface movements in post-mining areas

Over the last two decades, we have seen a rapid development of satellite and space technologies. Satellites of new navigation systems have been launched in space: BeiDou system (BDS), Galileo, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS). The existing Global Positioning System (GPS) and Globalnaja Navigacionnaja Sputnikova Sistema (GLONASS) system have been modernised, mainly through the replacement of navigation satellites with new-generation systems that offer new signals and services. Currently, we have four coexisting, independent Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). These include: American GPS, Russian GLONASS, Chinese BDS and European Galileo system. In addition, GNSS comprises two regional navigation systems, the Japanese system QZSS, which complements GPS, and the IRNSS. IRNSS, also known under the operational name NAVIC (NAVigation with Indian Constellation), is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides services of accurate positioning and time measurement in real time. GNSS is complemented by the satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), which creates regional networks of terrestrial satellite systems that enhance the accuracy and reliability of positioning over large areas. They are of key importance for aviation, maritime and land navigation, and they are also widely used in the geospatial industry, geodetic or cartographic works. Positioning based on several GNSS protects the user against a complete loss of positioning in the event of a single system failure. Furthermore, a simultaneous use of many frequencies allows to eliminate ionospheric errors, which, in turn, is a basic condition that enables to achieve precise positioning accuracy. Thus, the current state of development of satellite navigation systems allows us to access six different positioning systems (Table 1), which together provide access to over 140 observation satellites operating in different orbits. Assuming that each satellite transmits observation signals on several frequencies (three on average), we can use multiple measurement frequencies simultaneously and then select the optimal solution.

Due to widespread availability of the GNSS satellite technology, it has found application in many fields. Obviously, depending on the purpose of the measurements, a different level of their accuracy is required. Hence, a number of works have been devoted to determining the optimal solution, allowing to obtain the expected precision and accuracy of measurements. When we discuss the use of this technology for the implementation of surface deformation monitoring, we can refer to the work of Baryła and Paziewski (2012), in which the authors present main assumptions of the concept of ground deformation monitoring based on GPS satellite measurements, or to the work of Hastaoglu (2016), in which the results of radar measurements InSAR and GNSS for the monitoring of landslide movements were compared. Among other works which address the problem of optimisation of observation networks for the acquisition of high observation accuracy of surface deformation, the works of Stepniak et al. (2013), Blachowski et al. (2010) and Sokoła-Szewioła and Siejka (2009) can be referenced. The problem of quality assessment involving the geometry of the GNSS observation network for monitoring surface deformation, in this case in the area of a dam, was discussed in detail by Sanjaya et al. (2019), where the authors defined the most optimal solutions, taking into account the criteria of precision and reliability of measurements.

Since it is now possible to obtain measurement results with increasingly higher precision, satellite observations can also be applied in the case of natural disasters, including seismic hazards. GNSS have become one of the most effective ways to monitor temporary movements of the earth’s crust, using high-frequency (1 and 10 Hz) satellite observations. Appropriately positioned satellite receivers can directly observe displacements, which makes GNSS especially valuable in the event of large earthquakes (Avallone et al., 2011; Larson et al., 2003). High-precision satellite orbit and clock products in real time have become available, and they significantly expand the application of real-time GNSS deformation monitoring when combined with other seismic systems. The work of Bock et al. (2011) offers a solution based on the combination of data from the GPS – fast accelerometers collocated stations, thus obtaining time series of displacements with several millimetre-level accuracy. Noteworthy is the precise point positioning (PPP) algorithm presented in Song et al. (2016), which improves the dynamic precision of PPP. The algorithm was validated on the basis of GNSS observation data, including data from International GNSS Service (IGS) tracking stations, data from a simulated earthquake experiment and measured seismic data. As we can infer from the above, the issue involving the validation of the accuracy and precision of the applied GNSS monitoring solution, depending on the purpose of its implementation, is a priority.

Monitoring of surface movements is also very important in post-mining areas, especially during mine closures. During or after flooding of mines, mechanical properties of the rock mass may be impaired, and it may lead to subsidence, surface landslides, uplift, sinkholes or seismic activity. The above issues are the subject of research carried out under the project ‘Induced earthquake and rock mass movements in coal post mining areas: mechanisms, hazard and risk assessment’ (PostMinQuake). One of its objectives is to examine and select update methods and plans for long-term monitoring of post-mining sites to mitigate the risk of seismic and surface deformation during and after mine closures. The research assumed the implementation of continuous automated monitoring of surface movements using the GNSS in the area of the closed mine ‘Kazimierz-Juliusz’, located in Poland, in the northeastern part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. In order to obtain the results of displacement measurements with the accuracy level of several millimetres, an assessment of the accuracy and precision of multi-GNSS observations made in real time was carried out, the results of which are presented in the article. For the purposes of this project, the research was carried out with the use of four global navigation systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) due to the fact that QZSS and IRNSS, being regional systems, are dedicated for specific areas of the globe. However, these areas are significantly distant from the place of the research, and on this basis, it was concluded that presently, these systems are unsuitable for their effective use in the investigated area. For these reasons, the work focuses on the use of four GNSS in four different variants. Variant I consisted in using a single GPS in the measurements. Variant II was implemented based on the use of GPS and GLONASS. In variant III, three navigation systems were used: GPS, GLONASS and Galileo. Variant IV was implemented based on the simultaneous use of observations from four GNSS. The applied approach made it possible to conduct tests with a different number of navigation systems. Figure 1 shows an example illustrating how the total number of satellites available to the observer changed during the day at the site of conducted research. In addition, the plot shows how the number of available satellites changed throughout the day for individual navigation systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. Based on the above, we conclude that the use of only a single navigation system, for example, GPS, provides us with the access to about eight to nine satellites a day. Also, the possibility of using four GNSS simultaneously increases the average number of available satellites to over 30, and in certain time windows, this number may exceed 40 satellites (Figure 1).

Figure 1

We should also allow for the fact that with the use of many multi-GNSS (Dawidowicz, 2015; Prochniewicz et al., 2016; Ma et al., 2020; Siejka, 2015) the number of available satellites increases, and so does the number of observation signals (Table 2). Each new observation signal should be treated as an additional observation that may potentially have a direct impact on the quality of the performed measurements. As presented in Table 2, only four observed satellites, each belonging to a different navigation system, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, are able to deliver a total of 15 different observation signals at the same moment of time. Each such signal, in line with the theory of adjustment calculus, should be treated as a potential pseudo-observation that will be used in the adjustment process to precisely determine the ultimate coordinates of the measured point. Thus, the use of many GNSS in measurements is advisable both in terms of a practical and theoretical approach to the issue of using satellite techniques in precise geodetic measurements. A larger number of available satellites ensures better availability and positioning reliability for users. Also, based on the adopted general mathematical model of the solution, it can be concluded that a larger number of correctly realised and accepted for adjustment surplus observations (pseudo-observations) improves the quality of the obtained final results (coordinates).

The use of additional GNSS in real-time kinematic measurements considerably improves satellite conditions of the observation site. The research has demonstrated that, first of all, the average number of satellites observed per day increases significantly, because, as presented in Table 4, with the use of only a single GPS navigation system, we can effectively observe up to eight navigation satellites on average. However, when we have the option of using two systems GPS and GLONASS, the average number of satellites observed increases to 14. With the simultaneous use of three systems GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, the average number of observed satellites amounts to 21. Yet, if we use four GNSS simultaneously (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou), the average number of satellites observed per day will rise to 25. Such an approach makes it possible to increase the availability and efficiency of GNSS measurements, especially in difficult satellite conditions.

By increasing the number of satellites observed at the same time, especially when it is done by the application of additional constellations, we significantly improve satellite conditions of the observation site, which are routinely defined by Dilution of Precision (DOP) parameters. In general, the values of the spatial geometric accuracy factor (PDOP) (Table 4) decrease with the increasing number of constellations used, which bespeaks of better configuration of the satellites in relation to the station being determined.

The use of additional GNSS in RTK measurements has a direct impact on the accuracy of the determined coordinates. The presented results of empirical studies (Tables 8 and 9) have demonstrated a general principle that the mean random error of a single measurement decreases with the addition of an additional GNSS to the observation system. In the light of the obtained research results, such a principle can be accepted for the GPS, GLONASS and Galileo systems. It was also confirmed by the results of the analysis of absolute and relative errors obtained in the study. The inclusion of the Chinese BeiDou satellite constellation in real-time observation for the location covered by the research is not justified at this stage. The conducted research has demonstrated that this constellation does not substantially improve the measurement results, and it even deteriorates them slightly at some time intervals. This may be due to the fact that these systems are not yet fully integrated in terms of equipment for conducting continuous measurements in real time. In this case, adding observations from an additional constellation may only prolong the positioning process by ineffective use of the computing power of the field computer which performs the process of continuous real-time positioning.

It should be accepted that in the case of a planned long-term continuous monitoring of surface deformation using GNSS, it is most desirable to conduct accuracy tests of the measurement system.