Installation, operation and evaluation of an innovative global navigation satellite system monitoring technology at Ripley Landslide and South Slide near Ashcroft, British Columbia

Abstract

Vital railway infrastructure and operations are at risk from landslides across much of Canada. A particularly vulnerable section of the Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) railway corridors runs through the Thompson River valley between Ashcroft, Spences Bridge and Lytton in southern British Columbia. Landslides in this valley serve as field-based laboratories to test and compare the reliability and effectiveness of different static, dynamic and real-time monitoring technologies. A critical knowledge gap is our understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of movement/displacement across landslides from year to year. Addressing this research problem, our Open File describes the installation, operation, and assessment of a GeocubeTM (GeoKylia) network: a high resolution (millimetric) global navigation satellite system (GNSS), developed by Ophelia Sensors,. Small, rugged GNSS receivers are designed with directional antennas to relay GNSS data to Geocoordinator units. The Geocoordinator stores the GNSS data for multiple GeocubeTM units, and can be connected to a modem and an omnidirectional antenna to access a local 3G network to provide internet access. GeocubeTM records provide new insight on the rates and spatial pattern of creep, and also on the timing and possibly precursors of changes in creep behaviour. A future research goal will be to develop a Geocube monitoring protocol and tools that capture patterns and rates of movement, and changes in landslide activity. Comparing displacement trends with temperature, precipitation, river level, and ground resistivity will help establish landslide warning thresholds based on environmental conditions, and used to forecast pending failures.