Introduction   Settlement of buildings and structures is related to construction and safety operation of power plants. In the process of settlement observation, the key to the applicability of the observation method is to solve how to reduce the labor and improve the observation accuracy, is suitable for buildings and structures of power plants.

    Method   In this paper, the role, the content and the accuracy requirements for important buildings of power plants were introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of traditional observation methods were analyzed, and the regional positioning technology was introduced.

    Result   An automatic and intelligent settlement observation system based on area local positioning is presented, which is suitable for the buildings and structures of power plants. The key problems are solved in the process of the settlement observation system.

    Conclusion   With the research applied in practice, the cost is reduced and work efficiency is improved. Furthermore, the means and methods of settlement observation are enriched, especially in small area.