Transfer-Learning-Based Temperature Uncertainty Reduction Algorithm for Large Scale Oil Tank Ground Settlement Monitoring.

Sensors operating in open-air environments can be affected by various environmental factors. Specifically, ground settlement (GS) monitoring sensors installed in oil tanks are susceptible to non-uniform temperature fields caused by uneven sunshine exposure. This disparity in environmental conditions can lead to errors in sensor readings. To address this issue, this study aimed to analyze the impact of temperature on GS monitoring sensors and establish a mapping relationship between temperature uncertainty (fluctuations of measurement caused by temperature variation) and temperature variation. By collecting the temperature information and inferring the temperature uncertainty being introduced, this interference can be removed. However, it is crucial to note that in real-world complex scenarios, the relationship between temperature uncertainty and temperature variation is not always a constant positive correlation, which limits the data available for certain periods. Moreover, the limited availability of data presents a challenge when analyzing the complex mapping relationship. To overcome these challenges, a transfer-learning-based algorithm was introduced to develop a more accurate model for predicting temperature uncertainty based on temperature variation, even with limited data. Subsequently, a practical test was conducted to validate the proposed algorithm's performance. The results demonstrated that the algorithm outperformed a simple linear fitting model using the least squares method (LSM), achieving an improvement of up to 21.9%. This outcome highlights the algorithm's potential for enhancing the performance of GS sensors in daytime monitoring and contributing to the safe operation of oil tank facilities and infrastructure health monitoring.