Innovative techniques for the detection and characterization of the kinematics of slow-moving landslides

Abstract

Remote sensing has been proven useful for landslide studies. However, conventional remote sensing techniques based on aerial photographs and optical imageries seem to be more suitable for detecting and characterizing rapid-moving landslides. This section introduces several innovative remote sensing techniques aiming at the characterization of the kinematics (e.g. displacement pattern, deformation, strain) of slow- to moderate-moving landslides. These methods include Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI), automatic surveying using total station integrated with GPS, Ground-Based Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (GB-InSAR), image correlation of catalogues of optical photographs (TOP) and Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) point clouds. Three case studies, including the Arno river basin (Italy), the Valoria landslide (Italy) and the Super-Sauze landslide (France) are presented in order to highlight the usefulness of these techniques.