Landslide Damage-Natural Hazards

Forecasting Landslides in Transportation Corridors: A Consistent Framework Using Digital Elevation Models

Landslides are one of the most widespread disasters that cause serious losses to various aspects of life. The databases of landslides are limited and fragmented since they are based on a variety of inventories' maps from various sources. Therefore, due to a large and complex network of roads and transportation systems, establishing inventory maps for highway corridors and slope instabilities can be a challenging and time consuming approach.

During this research, some landslide-prone areas on the East Coast of the United States are being looked at by using the LiDAR and Digital Elevation Model dataset. A recently developed algorithm by Leshchinsky et al. (2015), called the Contour Connection Method (CCM), can evaluate gradient and associated features of existing landslide, based on applying contours and nodes to a map, and using vectors connecting the nodes. By utilizing this algorithm for Eastern Coast, we are trying to characterize potential landslides and make it useful for further steps.

This research focuses on investigating rainfall-induced landslides and their relationship with the infiltration rate in different soil types. Forecasting landslides based on storm data (duration and intensity) and looking for the shear strength behavior during precipitation are the main goals of this research. In addition, defining landslide behavior before and after applying the triggering factor, we would be able to compare the result for different states of stability and to find out the exact failure scenario for the whole region.

Our objective in this research is to provide a free-standing GIS tool that utilizes available DEMs (lidar, photogrammetry, contour maps) and is tailored to fit within the framework of the state-specific asset and geohazards management and prioritization objectives. Additionally, performing a preliminary inventory of landslides along a portion of a state highway corridor is the other aim of this project. It is also worth noting that maps and inventories would be provided in GIS files for making more compatible work.