Timely and Low-Cost Remote Sensing Practices for the Assessment of Landslide Activity in the Service of Hazard Management

Abstract

Landslides are among the most dangerous and catastrophic events in the world. The increasing progress in remote sensing technology made landslide observations timely, systematic and less costly. In this context, we collected multi-dated data obtained by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) campaigns and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) surveys for the accurate and immediate monitoring of a landslide located in a steep and v-shaped valley, in order to provide operational information concerning the stability of the area to the local authorities. The derived data were processed appropriately, and UAV-based as well as TLS point clouds were generated. The monitoring and assessment of the evolution of the landslide were based on the identification of instability phenomena between the multi-dated UAV and TLS point clouds using the direct cloud-to-cloud comparison and the estimation of the deviation between surface sections. The overall evaluation of the results revealed that the landslide remains active for three years but is progressing particularly slowly. Moreover, point clouds arising from a UAV or a TLS sensor can be effectively utilized for landslide monitoring with comparable accuracies. Nevertheless, TLS point clouds proved to be denser and more appropriate in terms of enhancing the accuracy of the monitoring process. The outcomes were validated using measurements, acquired by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).