The application of civic technologies in a field survey of landslides

Abstract

AbstractSlope failures are financially devastating natural hazards that contribute to land degradation in many areas throughout the world. The adaptation of civic technologies (Google Tango) in a field survey of landslides was examined. Data acquired from different resources and processed using different technologies were merged into a single model to concurrently demonstrate the interoperability and scalability of these data and the model quality. Reference control points were established using a survey‐grade Topcon Hiper SK global navigation satellite system receiver and a Topcon GPT 9003 M total station. An aerial survey was performed in an area of approximately 30,000 m2 using airborne laser scanning (9 points/m2) and aerial photogrammetry using a remotely piloted aircraft system (500 points/m2). The models suffered from data gaps in less visible areas, and micro‐scale landforms reflecting landslide activity were poorly visible. The missing details were supplied using data obtained from close‐range photogrammetry (9,132 m2; 92,300 points/m2) and a Lenovo Phab 2 Pro running Google Tango, which acquired detailed point clouds in near real‐time conditions (1,847 m2; 109,000 points/m2). Scans using the phablet provided point clouds with homogeneously dispersed data gaps, but the spatial accuracy was lower. However, the ergonomics of its field use and its low cost made it competitive with other technologies. The results confirmed that models based on point clouds acquired using different technologies allow the identification and measurement of micro‐scale landforms that may indicate landslide activity.