Combination on GNSS precise point positioning and InSAR data fusion to monitor the land subsidence in Taiwan
The Choushui River alluvial fan is an important agricultural production region in western Taiwan. This insufficient level of rainfall replenishment, combined with the unauthorized use of wells to irrigate crops, exacerbated land subsidence in the region. In this study, levelling, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observation data were collected from 2018 to 2021 for analysis. The GNSS data were processed using the precise point positioning method, and the results were compared with data processed using the traditional static relative positioning method.
The study finds that 3-year cumulative subsidence at the subsidence centre was approximately 9 cm in Changhua and 19 cm in Yunlin. To compensate for the lack of spatial resolution of GNSS and improve the accuracy of InSAR, the InSAR, GNSS, and levelling data were integrated, and these results were validated against levelling check points. They showed an average error of 0.4 cm/year in the annual subsidence rate. Overall, the GNSS had high precision and continuity, making it suitable for real-time early warning of land subsidence. InSAR obtained data with higher spatial resolution, allowing for early detection of new land subsidence areas and comprehensive monitoring of changes in land subsidence across the entire region.
Explore further
