Integration of remote sensing techniques in different stages of landslide response

Abstract

Recent advances in remote sensing techniques have yielded numerous new applications which provide benefits for all stages of landslide management. This paper describes how the data produced from different types of sensors and platforms have been used to estimate, model and mitigate landslide risk in sites in Italy and in other parts of the world. EO data have been utilized to update landslide inventories, with the identification of new landslides and the ratification or modification of landslide boundaries and states of activity, and to improve landslide hazard and risk assessment procedures at regional scales. Radar data provided a global topographic dataset that was used to model lahar inundation hazard while an example of the millimetric resolutions attainable from repeat-pass satellite radar data, with its beneficial implications for landslide monitoring, is also illustrated. Ground-based systems are shown to be innovative early warning systems for slow-moving landslides while coupled techniques involving both optical and radar images can provide support for the management of emergencies. The illustration of these case histories demonstrates the increasing importance of remote sensing in all facets of landslide management, with significant advantages for both policy makers and society. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.