SLEWS - A prototypic Landslide Monitoring and Early Warning System

Background

Due to the progressive development of urban areas and infrastructure, more and more people settle in environments that are or become endangered by mass movements. This situation is being complicated by the fact that the dependency of our society on a functioning infrastructure and number of human or objects in endangered areas increases at the same time. Early warning and alarm systems are an efficient tool to face landslide hazard and reduce the risk landslides, especially where no other mitigation strategies are suitable. Currently existing monitoring systems for early warning are available in terms of monolithic systems. This is a very cost-intensive way considering installation as well as operational and personal expenses. This displays the demand for modern cost-efficient technologies to upgrade existing and to develop new systems.

sensor node in the field

Aims

The joint project “A Sensorbased Landslide Early Warning System“ (SLEWS)” aims at a systemic development of a prototyping alarm- and early warning system for different types of landslides. The primary objective is the development of a prototypic real time monitoring and early warning system for mass movements to enhance the information situation in the event case. Further aims are affordable spatial monitoring, sensor fusion to reduce false alarm rates and user centered warning. In the context of this project the whole chain from data gathering and acquisition, evaluation and interpretation, up to data analysis, visualization and data supply for different end user will be investigated. Of special interest are data retrieval, processing and visualization of real-time data in open GI environments as little experience exists now. Besides the technical aspects of alarm and early warning systems, the demands of the users and requirements for an effective warn management are further important research fields within the project.

sketch of the SLEWS sensor network

Methodology

In the frame of the project ad hoc wireless sensor networks and spatial data infrastructure technologies according to OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) guidelines for real-time monitoring are used to set up a modern landslide early warning sytem. The SLEWS system is characterized by a very, flexible structure, cost efficiency and high fail-safe level. The application of a wireless ad-hoc, multi-hop sensor network in combination with low-cost, but precise micro-sensors provides an inexpensive and easy to set up intelligent monitoring system for spatial data gathering in large areas. The gathered data are provided by standardized interfaces regarding the OGC specifications for Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) for user orientated processing and visualization by a spatial data infrastructure (SDI). The open structure of the system allows a very rapid and flexible adjustment to changed boundary conditions and permits a simple linkage also with other data sources or other sensor networks.