Gravity Predictions in Data-Missing Areas Using Machine Learning Methods

Gravity data, comprising a key foundational dataset, are crucial for various research, including land subsidence monitoring, geological exploration, and navigational positioning. However, the collection of gravity data in specific regions is difficult because of environmental, technical, and economic constraints, resulting in a non-uniform distribution of the observational data. Traditionally, interpolation methods such as Kriging have been widely used to deal with data gaps; however, their predictive accuracy in regions with sparse data still needs improvement. In recent years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence has opened up a new opportunity for data prediction. In this study, utilizing the EGM2008 satellite gravity model, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of three machine learning algorithms—random forest, support vector machine, and recurrent neural network—and compared their performances against the traditional Kriging interpolation method. The results indicate that machine learning methods exhibit a marked advantage in gravity data prediction, significantly enhancing the predictive accuracy.