Continuous monitoring of subsurface ground movements is accomplished with in-place instruments utilizing automated data acquisition methods. These typically include TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) or assemblies of several servo-accelerometer-based, electrolytic level transducer-based, or MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) -accelerometer-based inclinometer probes that are usually aligned within special grooved casing. In-place inclinometers can determine the magnitude and direction of ground deformation, whereas TDR is primarily used to identify depths of active shearing only. Because the number of sensors in an in-place inclinometer chain may be somewhat limited due to cost or technological constraints, installation of in-place inclinometers on landslides has typically been preceded by the use of TDR or traversing probe inclinometers to target zones of interest.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) participated in prototype installations to evaluate long MEMS-inclinometer strings that do not utilize grooved casing or guide wheels. The new, guideless device and installation method is being used to achieve detailed deformation profiling to detect multiple zones of ground deformation. This approach can survive very large ground deformations and continue to collect measurements, and is able to be retrieved from severely distorted casing and redeployed