A dataset of InSAR-derived ground deformation in permafrost zone of the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor, China (2017–2022)

<p indent="0mm">Under the dual effect of global warming and human activities, permafrost degradation in the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC), located in the hinterland of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), has been intense, triggering a series of geohazards and posing significant challenges to the maintenance and safety of linear engineering infrastructures such as the Qinghai-Tibet Highway (QTH) and Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR). Ground deformation, as the primary indicator of common embankment and pavement distresses as well as related environmental geological hazards, can be as an effective proxy for engineering problems. While until now, there is no relevant ground deformation dataset covering the whole QTEC permafrost section, especially in the vertical (up and down, UD) deformation. In this study, LiCSAR (Looking Into Continents from Space with Synthetic Aperture Radar) products were firstly processed using time-series InSAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry) via the LiCSBAS toolkit (an open-source InSAR time-series analysis package developed by the Looking inside the Continents from Space project) to obtain one-dimensional line-of-sight (LOS) deformation results of the surface ascending and descending orbits in the permafrost zone of the QTEC. Then, using SAR image acquisition dates as a constraint, we filtered out the ascending and descending orbit time-series InSAR deformation datasets with the same or similar acquisition dates for two-dimensional surface deformation, namely surface east-west (EW) and vertical (UD) directions, while ignoring north-south deformation. As a result, both one-dimensional (ascending and descending LOS) and two-dimensional (EW and UD) deformation velocities and cumulative time-series deformation for 51 periods from 2017 to 2022 were obtained. Comparison with field-based monitoring indicates that the vertical deformation results show an accuracy mostly within <sc>10 mm,</sc> with a maximum error not exceeding <sc>30 mm.</sc> This dataset can not only be used as a benchmark for subsequent InSAR deformation monitoring, but also provide data support and effective suggestions for the normal operation and maintenance of transportation linear projects, such as QTH and QTR. In addition, it can be used as input for the inversion of permafrost active layer thickness and other related geotechnical analyses.