Landslide risk assessment using concepts of danger pixels and fuzzy set theory in Darjeeling Himalayas

Landslide risk assessment (LRA) is a key component of landslide studies. The landslide risk can be defined as the potential for adverse consequences or loss to human population and property due to the occurrence of landslides. The LRA can be regional or site-specific in nature and is an important information for planning various developmental activities in the area. LRA is considered as a function of landslide potential (LP) and resource damage potential (RDP). The LP and RDP are typically characterized by the landslide susceptibility zonation map and the resource map (i.e., land use land cover map) of the area, respectively. Development of approaches for LRA has always been a challenge. In the present study, two approaches for LRA, one based on the concept of danger pixels and the other based on fuzzy set theory, have been developed and implemented to generate LRA maps of Darjeeling Himalayas, India. The LRA map based on the first approach indicates that 1,015 pixels of habitation and 921 pixels of road section are under risk due to landslides. The LRA map derived from fuzzy set theory based approach shows that a part of habitat area (2,496 pixels) is under very high risk due to landslides. Also, another part of habitat area and a portion of road network (7,204 pixels) are under high risk due to landslides. Thus, LRA map based on the concept of danger pixels gives the pixels under different resource categories at risk due to landslides whereas the LRA map based on the concept of fuzzy set theory further refines this result by defining the degree of severity of risk to these categories by putting these into high and low risk zones. Hence, the landslide risk assessment study carried out using two approaches in this paper can be considered in cohesion for assessing the risks due to landslides in a region.     

一种基于多源遥感的滑坡防灾技术框架及其工程应用

我国是世界上受滑坡影响最大的国家之一,也投入了大量的人力物力开展区域性滑坡隐患探测工作.近年的政府工作表明,80%的滑坡发生在已圈定的隐患点范围外,80%的滑坡发生在防灾减灾工作条件相对薄弱的边远农村地区.为了解决这个困境,亟需:（1）厘清不同类型滑坡宜选用的广域探测技术,解决滑坡隐患广域探测的漏检问题;（2）突破社区协同滑坡防灾的难题,助力滑坡隐患探测和风险评估.本文将滑坡隐患分为4类:斜坡变形区、复活历史变形破坏区、稳定历史变形破坏区和潜在斜坡变形区,以便充分发挥多源遥感数据和技术的优势;进而提出一种“滑坡隐患广域探测-单体滑坡隐患风险评估-社区协同防灾”的多源遥感滑坡防灾技术框架.以青藏高原交通工程关键区段约10 000 km2区域作为研究区,协同社区（如设计和建设单位）共识别出滑坡隐患263处,其中斜坡变形区249处,复活历史变形破坏区5处,稳定历史变形破坏区9处,并针对3个典型滑坡隐患进行风险定量评估和社区协同防灾.该多源遥感技术框架将有助于提高社区滑坡防灾的能力,也将直接服务于青藏高原交通工程的建设与运维.      

A fuzzy set based approach for integration of thematic maps for landslide susceptibility zonation

Spatial prediction of landslides is termed landslide susceptibility zonation (LSZ). In this study, an objective weighting approach based on fuzzy concepts is used for LSZ in a part of the Darjeeling Himalayas. Relevant thematic layers pertaining to landslide causative factors have been generated using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. The membership values for each category of thematic layers have been determined using the cosine amplitude fuzzy similarity method and are used as ratings. The integration of these ratings led to the generation of LSZ map. The integration of different ratings to generate an LSZ map has been performed using a fuzzy gamma operator apart from the arithmetic overlay approach. The process is based on determination of combined rating known as the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) for all the pixels using the fuzzy gamma operator and classification using the success rate curve method to prepare the LSZ map. The results indicate that as the gamma value increases, the accuracy of the LSZ map also increases. It is observed that the LSZ map produced by the fuzzy algebraic sum has reflected a more real situation in terms of landslides in the study area.     

Preliminary flood risk assessment: the case of Athens

Flood mapping, especially in urban areas, is a demanding task requiring substantial (and usually unavailable) data. However, with the recent introduction of the EU Floods Directive (2007/60/EC), the need for reliable, but cost effective, risk mapping at the regional scale is rising in the policy agenda. Methods are therefore required to allow for efficiently undertaking what the Directive terms “preliminary flood risk assessment,” in other words a screening of areas that could potentially be at risk of flooding and that consequently merit more detailed attention and analysis. Such methods cannot rely on modeling, as this would require more data and effort that is reasonable for this high-level, screening phase. This is especially true in urban areas, where modeling requires knowledge of the detailed urban terrain, the drainage networks, and their interactions. A GIS-based multicriteria flood risk assessment methodology was therefore developed and applied for the mapping of flood risk in urban areas. This approach quantifies the spatial distribution of flood risk and is able to deal with uncertainties in criteria values and to examine their influence on the overall flood risk assessment. It can further assess the spatially variable reliability of the resulting maps on the basis of the choice of method used to develop the maps. The approach is applied to the Greater Athens area and validated for its central and most urban part. A GIS database of economic, social, and environmental criteria contributing to flood risk was created. Three different multicriteria decision rules (Analytical Hierarchy Process, Weighted Linear Combination and Ordered Weighting Averaging) were applied, to produce the overall flood risk map of the area. To implement this methodology, the IDRISI Andes GIS software was customized and used. It is concluded that the results of the analysis are a reasonable representation of actual flood risk, on the basis of their comparison with historical flood events.     

CSEES: An expert system for analysis and design of cut slopes and embankments

 An expert system is developed for evaluating failure potential of cut slopes and embankments. The fuzzy sets theory is used with the modified Monte Carlo simulation technique to obtain the Slope Failure Potential Index (SFPI) incorporating factors affecting slope stability, such as geology, topography, geomorphology, precipitation, vegetation and drainage conditions. The developed Cut Slopes and Embankments Expert System (CSEES) includes a classification system for evaluating failure potential of cut slopes and embankments, and a data bank on landslides in Jordan. The proposed classification system and slope failure-potential method proved to be successful for the areas that experienced landslides in the past. The expert system can be used directly for areas with the same geological formations as those areas in which landslides occurred in the past and can be used for areas with other geological formations by modifying the rock type or foundation-material type factor incorporated in the expert system. Received: 18 February 1998 · Accepted: 19 October 1998     

一种改进的公路边坡稳定性模糊评价方法研究

考虑影响公路边坡稳定性信息的不完整性、随机性和模糊性,以最大熵原理和工程模糊集理论为基础,并采用综合赋权法确定指标权重,提出了一种改进的公路边坡稳定性模糊评价方法。该模型充分利用影响因素的信息,以广义加权距离表示待评价样本与标准样本的差异,从优化条件中获得相对隶属度,并依据加权平均原则对边坡样本等级进行识别。该模型应用于常吉和吉怀高速公路边坡稳定性评价中,将评价结果与模糊综合模型和属性识别模型的结果以及边坡实际情况进行对比验证,体现了其较好的一致性,并且结果更合理。同时,该模型具有较小的信息熵值,表明其评价的不确定性小,可靠性较高,是一种边坡稳定性评价分析新方法,可在相关工程领域中应用推广。     

On the causes of landslides: Human activities,perception, and natural processes

Conceptual equations are presented for the net benefits, total risk, and total vulnerability associated with hazard zone occupation. It is shown that, as they are polycausal phenomena, landslides require a more sophisticated approach to this form of analysis than that employed for most other forms of hazard.Three examples of landsliding are examined. At Cuyocuyo, in the Peruvian Cordillera Oriental, slope instability is virtually inevitable, but human intervention may be disturbing some very fragile natural equilibria. At Calciano, in southern Italy, deforestation has resulted in a mudflow disaster, although man-made factors are not the only causes at work. Finally, in the Valle dell'Orco (also in southern Italy) demographic and agrarian change have aided the partial metamorphosis of the catchment into a large-scale mudflow complex (although the longer-term causes are natural, tectonic ones). These examples illustrate parts of the continuum that extends from dominant natural to dominant anthropogenic causes.Human intervention has played a key role in stimulating the natural antecedents of landslides occurring in the study areas. It is concluded that risk perception has not been wide enough to promote adequate risk mitigation, in part because of a failure properly to conceive of landslides as polycausal phenomena, in which man-made causes effectively cannot—and should not—be separated from natural ones.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping of the Sera River Basin using logistic regression model

Of the natural hazards in Turkey, landslides are the second most devastating in terms of socio-economic losses, with the majority of landslides occurring in the Eastern Black Sea Region. The aim of this study is to use a statistical approach to carry out a landslide susceptibility assessment in one area at great risk from landslides: the Sera River Basin located in the Eastern Black Sea Region. This paper applies a multivariate statistical approach in the form of a logistics regression model to explore the probability distribution of future landslides in the region. The model attempts to find the best fitting function to describe the relationship between the dependent variable, here the presence or absence of landslides in a region and a set of independent parameters contributing to the occurrence of landslides. The dependent variable (0 for the absence of landslides and 1 for the presence of landslides) was generated using landslide data retrieved from an existing database and expert opinion. The database has information on a few landslides in the region, but is not extensive or complete, and thus unlike those normally used for research. Slope, angle, relief, the natural drainage network (including distance to rivers and the watershed index) and lithology were used as independent parameters in this study. The effect of each parameter was assessed using the corresponding coefficient in the logistic regression function. The results showed that the natural drainage network plays a significant role in determining landslide occurrence and distribution. Landslide susceptibility was evaluated using a predicted map of probability. Zones with high and medium susceptibility to landslides make up 38.8 % of the study area and are located mostly south of the Sera River Basin and along streams.     

Morphological methods and dynamic modelling in landslide hazard assessment of the Campania Apennine carbonate slope

Landslide risk of the Campanian carbonate slopes covered by pyroclastic deposits is mainly connected with the occurrence of high-velocity debris avalanches and debris flows. Analyses show that flows initiate as small translational slides in the pyroclastics. The failure process is controlled by the interaction of both natural and human-induced factors. Geomorphological settings play a decisive role in locating the source failures. Therefore, the crucial aspects in landslide hazard and risk assessment are: (a) recognise the geomorphological control factors, (b) determine parameters defining landslide intensity (velocity, volume, depth of deposit) and (c) predict landslide runout distance. An approach combining geomorphology and numerical analysis has been adopted in the work reported here. Potential future landslide intensity scenarios are simulated predicting the runout behaviour of potential instabilities by using a dynamic model previously calibrated by back-analysing observed events of similar scale and type. The selected area is a sector of the Avella Mountains having the same geomorphological environment as the 1998 Sarno landslides (Campania, Southern Italy).     

Assessment of fractal dimension and geometrical characteristics of the landslides identified in North of Tehran,Iran

The aim of the presented study is to assess the fractal dimension (D) and the geometrical characteristics (length and width) of the landslides identified in North of Tehran, Iran. At first, the landslide locations (528 landslides) were identified by interpretation of aerial photographs, satellite images and field surveys, and then to calculate the fractal dimension (D), we used the computer programming named as FRACEK. In the next step, geometrical characteristics of each landslide such as length (L) and width (W) were calculated by ArcGIS software. The landslide polygons were digitized from the mentioned landslide inventory map and rotated based on movement direction. The fractal dimension for all landslides varied between 1.665 and 1.968. Subsequently, the relationship between the length/width ratios and theirs fractal D values for 528 landslides was calculated. The results showed that correlation coefficients (R), which are different regression models such as exponential, linear, logarithmic, polynomial, and power, between D and L/W ratio are relatively high, respectively (0.75, 0.75, 0.76, 0.78, and 0.75). It can be concluded that the fractal dimension values and geometry characteristics of landslides would be useful indices for the management of hazardous areas, susceptible slopes, land use planning, and landslide hazard mitigation.     

川气东送管道工程沿线地质灾害及防治对策分析

川气东送管道工程是国家跨区域重大天然气管网工程,路线全长1559km。管道沿线地质环境条件复杂,地质灾害异常发育。笔者在对沿线地质灾害调查的基础上,开展了地质灾害危险性评估,并提出了具体的对策建议,主要取得了以下认识：1）川气东送管道沿线地貌类型众多、活动构造复杂、岩土体工程地质条件及水文地质条件差异较大,人类工程活动强烈,地质灾害异常发育。2）研究区突发性地质灾害与缓变性地质灾害并存,共发育隐患点260处,其中崩塌88处、潜在不稳定斜坡74处、滑坡52处、地面沉降36处、泥石流10处。3）地质灾害危险性大的地质灾害点共16处,危险性中等的9处,其余为危险性较小的地质灾害隐患点。4）提出了各类地质灾害点的防治对策建议,为管道工程沿线地质环境安全提供了基础地质依据。     

Application of a GIS-aided method for the assessment of volcaniclastic soil sliding susceptibility to sample areas of Campania (Southern Italy)

A significant part of Campania is extensively covered by volcaniclastic soils, deriving from the alteration of airfall-sedimented formations of layered ashes and pumices that were ejected by Campi Flegrei and Mt. Somma–Vesuvius during explosive eruptions. Where such soils cover steep slopes cut in carbonate bedrock, landforms depend essentially on the morpho-evolution of such slopes prior to the deposition of the volcaniclastic soils, because these are generally present only as thin veneers, up to a few meters of total thickness. Historical records and local literature testify that, in this part of Campania, landslides that originate on carbonate slopes covered by such soils and terminate at their foot or at gully outlets are frequent, following critical rainfall events. Such landslides can be classified as complex, occurring initially as debris slides, but rapidly evolving into debris avalanches and/or debris flows. The localization of the initial sliding areas (i.e. “sources”) on the slopes depends on both the spatial distribution of characters of the soil cover and the spatial distribution of the triggering rainfall events. It therefore appears reasonable to separate the two aspects of the problem and focus on the former one, in order to attempt an assessment of soil sliding susceptibility in the event of landslide-triggering rainfall. In this paper, some results of the application of a method aimed at such an assessment are presented. The method, called SLIDE (from SLiding Initiation areas DEtection), is based on the concept that, for a spatially homogeneous soil cover and a spatially homogeneous landslide-triggering rainfall sequence, different values of threshold slope gradient for limit equilibrium conditions exist, depending on morphological characters of the soil cover, such as its continuity and planform curvature. The method is based on the assessment of (1) soil cover presence, (2) discontinuities within soil cover, (3) slope gradients and curvature, by means of good resolution DEMs. It has been applied to sample carbonate slopes of Campania, where landslides originated either repeatedly or recently. Results are encouraging, and a soil sliding susceptibility map of a large area, based on a simplified version of method, is also presented.     

考虑时间效应的滑坡风险评估和管理

提出了考虑时间效应的滑坡风险评估和管理方法。以香港地区近20年的16 000个切破的观测资料为基础,从统计学的角度提出了边坡的时变可靠性分析方法。推导了新建边坡在未来服役时间内的年失效概率的计算公式,并对现役边坡在未来服役时间内的年失效概率进行了预测。确定了基于年死亡人数的滑坡风险接受准则,并分析了基于滑坡时变风险的边坡加固时间。结果表明,考虑时间效应的滑坡风险评估和管理方法能够更加真实地反映滑坡随时间变化的特性。新建边坡的年失效概率随边坡服役时间逐渐增大,尤其是当边坡服役超过10年时,每年发生滑坡的概率急剧增大。现役边坡的年失效概率基本与继续服役时间呈线形关系。此外,香港斜坡维修指南规定的边坡加固时间能够有效地将滑坡风险降低到ALARP区或可接受的风险区。     

A classification system for the assessment of slope stability of terrains along highway routes in Jordan

 The establishment of comprehensive development plans, in general, and the proper selection of highway routes, in particular, require an assessment of landslides or instability hazards in the project sites. The frequent landslides that occurred along the routes of major highways in Jordan, and particularly along the Amman-Na'ur-Dead Sea highway and Irbid-Jerash-Amman highway, have substantially increased the cost of construction and caused a considerable delay in the completion of work. The study of many landslides that occurred in the last 25 years along the highway routes and in the sites of some major civil engineering projects in Jordan has led to the recognition of major factors that affect the stability of slopes, and thus the safety and economics of these projects. The geological formation, structural features, topographic characteristics, geometry, and climatic conditions were adopted as the basis for the classification of terrains in terms of their stability. Each factor has been assigned a rating to indicate its relative contribution to the overall stability according to engineering judgment and past experience. The areas have been classified into 5 groups according to their total stability rate. The simplicity, comprehensiveness, and accuracy are the main characteristics of the proposed classification. Its significance stems from its helpfulness as a guide to the geotechnical and highway engineers in assessing the overall stability of the alternative routes of proposed highway projects. Received: 3 December 1996 · Accepted: 29 April 1997     

Regional landslide risk to the Cairns community

A GIS-based regional reconnaissance-level assessment of landslide risk to the Cairns community has been carried out to provide information to the Cairns City Council for planning and emergency management purposes. Magnitude recurrence relations were tentatively established for the two main slope processes: landslides on the hill slopes; and large debris flows extending out from the gully systems on to the plains. From the recurrence relations, landslide hazard (H) was estimated as the annual probability of a point being impacted by a landslide. The nature, number (E) and geographic distribution of the elements at risk were obtained by interrogating the GIS, and their vulnerabilities (V) to destruction by the two main landslide slope processes were assessed. From this information, specific risk (= H × V) and total risk (= H × V× E) maps were produced.Although total landslide risk is relatively low at present, it will increase as development extends further into the hill slopes, unless adequate mitigation measures are taken. Large debris flows, while considerably less frequent than landslides on cut slopes, could impact on subdivisions at the base of the slopes. Blockage by landslides of roads and railways providing access to Cairns can cause isolation of the community. Flash flooding in Freshwater Creek, or debris flows, have the potential to disrupt the Cairns water supply by blocking the intake or destroying sections of the pipeline.     

滑坡时间预报的费尔哈斯反函数模型法

费尔哈斯模型是德国生物学家费尔哈斯１９３７年提出的一种生物增长模型。本文利用这一模型的反函数来拟合和描述边坡变形特征，建立了滑坡时间的预报判据和预报模型。     

Susceptibility mapping of landslides in Beichuan County using cluster and MLC methods

Cluster analysis and maximum likelihood classification (MLC) are exploited to map the post-earthquake landslide susceptibility in Beichuan County that was affected by the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. The methodology is applicable even if there is short of training data. Six effective factors are chosen for mapping the susceptibility, including land use, seismic intensity, average annual rainfall, relative relief, slop gradient and lithology. Four clusters are grouped from sampling grid cells by k-means clustering approach. MLC classifies all the cells in the study area into the four clusters according to their statistical characteristics. Four susceptibility classes (extreme low, low, moderate and high) are assigned to these clusters applying expert experience and hazard density. The final map gives a reasonable assessment of post-earthquake landslide susceptibility in Beichuan County. Comparing with the pre-earthquake susceptibility map made in Beichuan County geological disaster survey project, the result t using cluster and MLC classification has a better agreement with the dot density value of post-earthquake landslides in Beichuan County. The susceptibility map can be used to identify safety spots within the high danger area, which are suitable for habitations and facilities. It is also found that more landslides are densely concentrated at the boundary between high and moderate regions, and between high and extreme low regions.     

GIS-based landslide susceptibility evaluation using fuzzy-AHP multi-criteria decision-making techniques in the Abha Watershed,Saudi Arabia

Landslides are natural geological disasters causing massive destructions and loss of lives, as well as severe damage to natural resources, so it is essential to delineate the area that probably will be affected by landslides. Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing implications for GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. It is considered to be an effective tool to understand natural disasters related to mass movements and carry out an appropriate risk assessment. This study is based on an integrated approach of GIS and statistical modelling including fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), weighted linear combination and MCE models. In the modelling process, eleven causative factors include slope aspect, slope, rainfall, geology, geomorphology, distance from lineament, distance from drainage networks, distance from the road, land use/land cover, soil erodibility and vegetation proportion were identified for landslide susceptibility mapping. These factors were identified based on the (1) literature review, (2) the expert knowledge, (3) field observation, (4) geophysical investigation, and (5) multivariate techniques. Initially, analytical hierarchy process linked with the fuzzy set theory is used in pairwise comparisons of LSM criteria for ranking purposes. Thereafter, fuzzy membership functions were carried out to determine the criteria weights used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. These selected thematic maps were integrated using a weighted linear combination method to create the final landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a validation of the results was carried out using a sensitivity analysis based on receiver operator curves and an overlay method using the landslide inventory map. The study results show that the weighted overlay analysis method using the FAHP and eigenvector method is a reliable technique to map landslide susceptibility areas. The landslide susceptibility areas were classified into five categories, viz. very low susceptibility, low susceptibility, moderate susceptibility, high susceptibility, and very high susceptibility. The very high and high susceptibility zones account for 15.11% area coverage. The results are useful to get an impression of the sustainability of the watershed in terms of landsliding and therefore may help decision makers in future planning and mitigation of landslide impacts.     

南京市区工程边坡特征与滑坡地质灾害防治对策

分析了南京市滑坡发生的自然因素和人为因素,进行了应力分析。找出了工程边坡防治工作中存在的问题。提出了滑坡防治的技术措施和管理措施。     

Landslides triggered by slipping-fault-generated earthquake on a plateau: an example of the 14 April 2010, Ms 7.1, Yushu, China earthquake

On 14 April 2010 at 07:49 (Beijing time), a catastrophic earthquake with Ms 7.1 struck Yushu County, Qinghai Province, China. A total of 2,036 landslides were interpreted from aerial photographs and satellite images, verified by selected field checking. These landslides cover about a total area of 1.194 km². The characteristics and failure mechanisms of these landslides are presented in this paper. The spatial distribution of the landslides is evidently strongly controlled by the locations of the main co-seismic surface fault ruptures. The landslides commonly occurred close together. Most of the landslides are small; there were only 275 individual landslide (13.5 % of the total number) surface areas larger than 1,000 m². The landslides are of various types. They are mainly shallow, disrupted landslides, but also include rock falls, deep-seated landslides, liquefaction-induced landslides, and compound landslides. Four types of factors are identified as contributing to failure along with the strong ground shaking: natural excavation of the toes of slopes, which mean erosion of the base of the slope, surface water infiltration into slopes, co-seismic fault slipping at landslide sites, and delayed occurrence of landslides due to snow melt or rainfall infiltration at sites where slopes were weakened by the co-seismic ground shaking. To analyze the spatial distribution of the landslides, the landslide area percentage (LAP) and landslide number density (LND) were compared with peak ground acceleration (PGA), distance from co-seismic main surface fault ruptures, elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, and lithology. The results show landslide occurrence is strongly controlled by proximity to the main surface fault ruptures, with most landslides occurring within 2.5 km of such ruptures. There is no evident correlation between landslide occurrences and PGA. Both LAP and LND have strongly positive correlations with slope gradient, and additionally, sites at elevations between 3,800 and 4,000 m are relatively susceptible to landslide occurrence; as are slopes with northeast, east, and southeast slope aspects. Q₄ al-pl, N, and T₃ kn ¹ have more concentrated landslide activity than others. This paper provides a detailed inventory map of landslides triggered by the 2010 Yushu earthquake for future seismic landslide hazard analysis and also provides a study case of characteristics, failure mechanisms, and spatial distribution of landslides triggered by slipping-fault generated earthquake on a plateau.