Geotechnical & Environmental Monitoring Glossary

A documented reference condition used to compare later observations. A useful baseline should be established before the change of interest where practicable and should preserve the measurement context, timing and reference system.

Systematic observation of environmental conditions such as water, weather, noise, vibration, soil or other project-specific parameters so that change can be assessed against defined objectives.

Field measurement and review of ground, groundwater, geotechnical structures and structures interacting with the ground before, during or after construction or other changes in ground conditions.

Official context: ISO 18674-1:2015 ↗

RAUZ’s working term for the layer between measurement and decision: connecting relevant evidence, checking data quality, analysing change, interpreting engineering or environmental significance and communicating what deserves attention.

RAUZ usage: This is a working term used on RAUZ pages and deliverables; project contracts and applicable standards remain controlling where they define the term differently.

The specific question that a monitoring system is intended to answer. Instrument choice, location, frequency, baseline and reporting should be traceable to that question.

Official context: FHWA PDDM Chapter 6 — Geotechnical ↗

A recorded result associated with an observed property, time, location and method. In monitoring work, an observation may come from a sensor, survey, inspection, laboratory process or remote-sensing product.

Official context: OGC Observations, Measurements, and Samples ↗

A quantified observation produced by an instrument, survey method or analytical process and expressed using a defined unit or reference system.

A sequence of observations arranged by time. Monitoring interpretation commonly examines level, trend, rate, change points, gaps and relationships with project or environmental events.

Information that explains a dataset or observation, such as instrument ID, location, unit, timestamp, coordinate system, calibration information, baseline, sensor type or data source.

The record of where data came from and what happened to it before use, including source, collection method, transformations, exclusions, corrections and review steps.

The recognised limitation in how precisely an observation or interpretation represents the physical condition being assessed. Uncertainty should be stated rather than hidden by excessive numerical precision.

A monitoring approach that can use suitable data from more than one sensor, logger, software or service provider instead of requiring one proprietary hardware stack.

RAUZ usage: This is a working term used on RAUZ pages and deliverables; project contracts and applicable standards remain controlling where they define the term differently.

A technical review performed separately from the original data producer or reporting chain, focused on the evidence, assumptions, data quality, interpretation and stated limitations.

RAUZ usage: This is a working term used on RAUZ pages and deliverables; project contracts and applicable standards remain controlling where they define the term differently.

The closeness of a measurement result to the value accepted as representing the quantity being measured, within the limits of the method and reference system.

The closeness of repeated measurement results to one another under stated conditions. High precision does not by itself prove that a result is accurate.

A documented process that establishes the relationship between instrument output and a reference. Calibration status is part of the evidence needed to judge measurement reliability.

The planned management framework used to ensure that monitoring or environmental information is fit for its intended use, including procedures, responsibilities, documentation and review.

Official context: US EPA — Quality Assurance and Quality Control ↗

The technical checks used to assess whether data collection and processing meet defined requirements, such as calibration checks, consistency checks, acceptance limits or review flags.

Official context: US EPA — Quality Assurance and Quality Control ↗

A check that data were collected, transferred, processed and documented according to specified procedures and requirements.

Official context: US EPA — Environmental Data Verification and Validation ↗

An assessment of whether data are suitable for the intended decision or use, considering the project objective, quality criteria, evidence and limitations.

Official context: US EPA — Environmental Data Verification and Validation ↗

The extent to which the expected monitoring records are present and usable for the period, instruments and parameters being assessed.

Expected observations that are absent. Missing periods can affect trend interpretation, rate calculations, trigger review and comparison with project events.

A repeated record that appears more than once for the same observation or timestamp and may distort statistics, reporting or event counts if not identified.

An observation that differs markedly from surrounding or comparable data. An outlier is a flag for investigation, not automatic proof of instrument error.

A gradual change in instrument output that is not caused by the physical quantity of interest. Drift should be investigated against calibration, reference conditions and independent evidence.

A period in which a signal remains unchanged or nearly unchanged. It may represent stable behaviour, limited resolution, communications issues, sensor saturation or another condition requiring context.

A change in the reference level from which subsequent movement or change is calculated. It may be intentional, such as an approved re-baseline, or may indicate a data or reference issue.

The consistency and reliability of observation times, including time zone, clock synchronisation, daylight-saving handling where relevant and the order of imported records.

The use of correct and traceable units across source data, calculations and reports. Unit mismatch can create apparently credible but materially wrong results.

The ability to follow a result back through its source data, references, transformations, calculations, exclusions and review decisions.

Observation of an area or object without direct physical contact, commonly using satellite, airborne or other remote instruments.

An active microwave radar imaging technique used from satellites or aircraft. Because it uses its own transmitted signal, SAR can operate day or night and is less dependent on cloud-free conditions than optical imagery.

Official context: ESA TM-19 — InSAR Principles ↗

A technique that compares the phase of radar observations acquired at different times or geometries to estimate changes in the radar travel path and derive surface displacement information.

Official context: ESA TM-19 — InSAR Principles ↗

A product created by comparing the phase of two SAR acquisitions. It contains phase differences that may relate to topography, deformation, atmosphere, orbit effects and noise.

The direction from the radar sensor to the observed ground target. InSAR displacement is fundamentally measured along this viewing direction rather than as a direct three-dimensional movement vector.

A measure of similarity between radar observations used in interferometric analysis. Low coherence can reduce the reliability of displacement estimation.

A sequence of estimated displacement values through time for a point, pixel or selected area derived from repeated observations.

Satellite viewing configurations associated with different orbital directions. Combining geometries can provide additional information about movement direction, subject to data quality and model assumptions.

A radar target that remains sufficiently stable through repeated acquisitions to support time-series interferometric analysis over long periods.

An apparent phase or displacement signal caused by changes in atmospheric conditions along the radar path rather than true surface movement.

Comparison of satellite-derived movement with suitable ground observations, survey, instrumentation or site information to test interpretation at the project scale.

The process of bringing information from different monitoring, survey, remote-sensing or environmental sources into a consistent review workflow while preserving source identity and traceability.

The ability of systems or data sources to exchange and use information with defined formats, interfaces, metadata and semantics.

Official context: OGC Sensor Observation Service ↗

Application Programming Interface. A defined method that allows software systems to exchange data or functions programmatically.

Comma-separated values, a common plain-text tabular data format used for monitoring exports, data exchange and analysis.

A structured definition of how entities such as instruments, observations, units, locations, timestamps, thresholds and project events are represented and related.

A traceable record of changes, processing steps, approvals, exclusions, calculations or review actions associated with a dataset or report.

A workflow that automatically prepares recurring charts, tables, checks or draft narrative from structured data while preserving the evidence needed for technical review.

Reporting in which automated processing may support preparation, but technical conclusions and consequential interpretation are reviewed by a suitably qualified engineer or specialist.

RAUZ usage: This is a working term used on RAUZ pages and deliverables; project contracts and applicable standards remain controlling where they define the term differently.

A visual interface that presents current or historical monitoring information, trends, maps, alarms or status indicators. A dashboard is a presentation layer, not a substitute for technical interpretation.

Use of AI to support tasks such as screening, summarisation, classification, chart preparation or draft reporting while retaining human review for technical conclusions and project decisions.

RAUZ usage: This is a working term used on RAUZ pages and deliverables; project contracts and applicable standards remain controlling where they define the term differently.