Performance analysis of low-cost GNSS stations for structural health monitoring of civil engineering structures

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have been used in various monitoring applications for the past two decades, as one of the very few options to provide absolute positions in a global reference frame. However, high performance GNSS stations are expensive, and sometimes may be impractical because of their size, power consumption or software requirements. Thus, the use of low-cost GNSS stations for structural health monitoring (SHM) has gained increasing attention. This paper presents a detailed experimental assessment of multiple combinations of GNSS receivers and antennas, and highlights an optimal cost-efficient solution for monitoring applications. Several sets of processing parameters and constraints are also evaluated using open source RTKLib software. The performance of the proposed solution is evaluated through two experimental dynamic scenarios, proving its ability to track quick displacements down to 4 mm and oscillations of 1 cm with a frequency up to 0.25 Hz with a 1 Hz receiver. Finally, a two-week dataset acquired from on a network of low-cost GNSS stations deployed on a suspended bridge is used to validate on-site performance. Results show good agreement between GNSS time series, traditional displacement sensors, and numerical simulations made using an operational mechanical model of the bridge, highlighting the potential of such low-cost solutions for structural health monitoring applications.