GNSShöjdmätare

GNSShöjdmätare is a compact, modular sensing system designed to measure vertical displacement and height-related phenomena in geophysical and engineering contexts. The device combines optical interferometry, inertial sensing, and GNSS positioning to provide high-resolution measurements of altitude changes and related parameters. It is intended for use on fixed installations, mobile platforms such as unmanned aerial systems, and handheld survey setups.

The core of GNSShöjdmätare is an optical interferometer that monitors phase changes in a short, stabilized light path, translating those changes into precise height information. A microelectromechanical actuator and an integrated accelerometer furnish rapid response to dynamic motion, while a GNSS receiver supplies absolute positioning data. The system includes environmental sensors for temperature, pressure, and humidity, and a dedicated data-processing unit that fuses all inputs through a Kalman filter or similar estimator. The result is a time-stamped stream of vertical displacement, velocity, and attitude indicators with configurable sampling rates and data export options.

Applications span geodesy, earthquake and structural monitoring, volcano and atmospheric research, and civil engineering. In field deployments, GNSShöjdmätare supports long-term stability tests of towers and bridges, rapid assessment after seismic events, and high-precision topographic surveys in difficult terrain. Its design emphasizes radiation-hardening, low power consumption, and modularity to accommodate different measurement ranges and environmental conditions.

Development of the instrument began in the mid-2010s, with iterative prototypes progressing toward sensitive, field-ready configurations by the early 2020s. Ongoing work focuses on improving drift compensation, reducing environmental sensitivity, and expanding data interoperability with existing geospatial systems. See also interferometry, GNSS, tiltmeters, and structural health monitoring.