Data collection, communications and processing in the Sumatran GPS array (SuGAr)

Abstract

The Sumatran GPS array spans approximately 1300 km along the West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Almost 40 monitoring stations periodically collect high accuracy continuous GPS readings, and convey these to a central server for post-processing in Singapore. Solutions from the array data are used to provide precise measurements of the deformation of the earth's surface over large distances: in effect allowing the tracking of tectonic movements, and aiding in the understanding of seismic events in this highly active area of the earth's crust. Invaluable SuGAr-provided scientific data has been published over recent years, however this paper will discuss the communications and computer engineering architecture and evolution of this large sensing network, rather than the tectonic meaning of the data