Proposed methodology for temporal evaluation of leveling network bench marks using the Graph Theory

Abstract

The remeasurement of height diferences of the sections through the geometric leveling technique is na everyday activity in leveling networks. It generates many observations of the same section. This set of observations needs to be checked for consistency to minimize possible outliers’ insertion into the data. This work proposes, for the temporal evaluation of the leveling data, a methodology that: optimizes the usual method of analysis: explores alternatives when it cannot be applied taking advantage of available information; additionally it aims to make the assessment more homogeneous and non-subjective. To achieve this goal, the network was treated as a graph. Thus, concepts and algorithms from Graph Theory were used, like all cycles and paths. This paradigma made it possible to generate a set of inputs for data analysis. The application of the methodology in the Brazilian Altimetric Network – RAAP – showed consistente results, as long as the network has suficiente redundancy to allow detection and confirmation of possible temporal movements.