Landslide Monitoring: Cost effective solution with novel high-resolution image processing

Monitoring technology in the built environment has advanced to the point where equipment exists to monitor surface deformation; local sensors can be installed within a slide area to measure the movement of specific points or remote sensing solutions that cover entire slide areas at several kilometres distance with a single sensor. Cost-effective solutions for long-term remote monitoring of landslide areas have been developed, allowing for optical deformation analysis based on the combination of high-resolution imagery and image combination algorithms.

Many landslide areas are old slope instabilities and remain quiet for a long time. But latent landslides can gradually but also suddenly accelerate and fail. Given the calm long-term behaviour and the rarity of a failure, large protection structures are in many cases disproportionate and not cost-effective. In addition, constructive measures may not be feasible for large-scale landslides. In these cases, long-term monitoring is the ideal solution. Permanent observation of these slopes is essential to detect an acceleration of the slide movement or areas within it. Monitoring enables organisations to take appropriate protection measures at an early stage and guarantee safety for roads or residential areas at risk.