China is a country with large coal resources. With the large-scale mining of coal resources, more cavities and cavities are left behind, referred to as goaf site. As a large number of engineering constructions need to cross the coal goaf, monitoring and prediction of the surface deformation of the goaf site becomes extremely important. Starting from the introduction of the study on the laws and mechanisms of the surface movement of the goaf at home and abroad, this article describes several prediction models for the surface deformation of the goaf site, and lists several prediction methods for the surface deformation. Then three kinds of goaf monitoring technologies are introduced, namely conventional monitoring technology, three-dimensional laser scanning measurement technology and radar monitoring technology. With the continuous development of science and technology, the monitoring of goafs is also developing towards automation, precision and comprehensiveness.