Integration of Satellite InSAR with a Wireless Network of Geotechnical Sensors for Slope Monitoring in Urban Areas: The Pariana Landslide Case (Massa, Italy)

Andrea Ciampalini,Davide Tavarini,Veronica Taurino,Fernando Della Pina,Paolo Farina,Luca Lombardi,Roberto Guidi,Massimiliano Nocentini

doi:10.3390/rs13132534

Abstract

Slow to extremely slow landslides in urban areas may cause severe damage to buildings and infrastructure that can lead to the evacuation of local populations in case of slope accelerations. Monitoring the spatial and temporal evolution of this type of natural hazard represents a major concern for the public authorities in charge of risk management. Pariana, a village with 400 residents located in the Apuan Alps (Massa, Tuscany, Italy), is an example of urban settlement where the population has long been forced to live with considerable slope instability. In the last 30 years, due to the slope movements associated with a slow-moving landslide that has affected a significant portion of the built-up area, several buildings have been damaged, including a school and the provincial road crossing the unstable area, leading to the need for an installation of a slope monitoring system with early warning capabilities, in parallel with the implementation of mitigation works. In this paper, we show how satellite multi-temporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar (MT-InSAR) data can be effectively used when coupled with a wireless sensor network made of several bar extensometers and a borehole inclinometer. In fact, thanks to their wide area coverage and opportunistic nature, satellite InSAR data allow one to clearly identify the spatial distribution of surface movements and their long-term temporal evolution. On the other hand, geotechnical sensors installed on specific elements at risk (e.g., private buildings, retaining walls, etc.), and collected through Wi-Fi dataloggers, provide near real-time data that can be used to identify sudden accelerations in slope movements, subsequently triggering alarms. The integration of those two-monitoring systems has been tested and assessed in Pariana. Results show how a hybrid slope monitoring program based on the two different technologies can be used to effectively monitor slow-moving landslides and to identify sudden accelerations and activate a response plan.

Highlights

IntroductionIn Italy, landslides represent a major geological risk involving damage to buildings and infrastructure, and they can often cause the loss of human life [1,2]
The recent ground motion service that has been active in the Tuscany region since October 2016, and which is based on the systematic processing of Sentinel-1 images, represents a useful system for detecting and monitoring slow-moving landslides and subsid
The recent ground motion service that has been active in the Tuscany region since October 2016, and which is based on the systematic processing of Sentinel-1 images, represents a useful system for detecting and monitoring slow-moving landslides and subsidence areas

Summary

Introduction

In Italy, landslides represent a major geological risk involving damage to buildings and infrastructure, and they can often cause the loss of human life [1,2]. Northern Tuscany is one of the areas in Italy with the highest landslide risk due to its lithology, relief, and structural and meteorologic characteristics. The most recent destructive event occurred in 1996, when 478 mm of rain fell in 13 h in this region, killing 13 people and resulting in one missing person and the damage of around 4000 private houses [3,4]. Most of the causes of landslides in northern Tuscany are related to fast slope movements and the prevalent flow of debris [5,6]. Slow (up to 13 m/month) to extremely

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Discussion

Conclusion