PSDefoPAT—Persistent Scatterer Deformation Pattern Analysis Tool

Abstract

Persistent Scatterer Deformation Pattern Analysis Tool, for short PSDefoPAT, was designed to assign each measuring point of an advanced DInSAR data set a best-fitting time series model based on its displacement time series. In this paper, we will outline the operating principles of the tool. The periodic and trend components of a time series model are separately determined based on hypothesis tests. The periodic component is fitted as a sine function, and for the trend component, linear, quadratic, and piecewise linear regression models are considered. Additionally, the tool assesses the goodness-of-fit for each model in the form of the adjusted coefficient of determination Radj2 value. The tool works fully automatically and thus facilitates the analysis of large data sets, which are becoming more available to the public due to services such as the European Ground Motion Service. Additionally, we demonstrate the capabilities of PSDefoPAT using four case studies characterized by different deformation mechanisms, various extents of active deformation area, and varying density of measuring points. In all cases, we successfully reveal information on the temporal behavior of the deformation not apparent in the typically presented mean deformation velocity maps.