Monitoring is a surveillance system that allows forecasting the development of various events, such as landslides. The issue of landslides is extremely relevant today, and monitoring helps keep it under control.
Within territories developed for economic purposes and along landslide-prone areas, thorough engineering-geological and topographic surveys have already been conducted. Buildings with landslide-type cracks are marked with special indicators and other markings. Additionally, periodic topographic surveys of areas with measurements of crack changes are conducted, providing long-term forecasts and assessing the dynamics of ongoing processes.
The responsibility of the geoecological service includes informing administrative and emergency response authorities about the dynamics of ongoing processes, allowing them to detect evolving hazards. If landslide hazards are identified, a set of mandatory measures is implemented, such as:
- Evacuation readiness is announced;
- Conditions are created for property salvage;
- The condition of communications is checked;
- The condition of roads, embankments, and railway tracks is verified.
Upon landslide activation, rescue operations and emergency repair operations are necessary.
Laser Scanning - A Tool for Preventing Problems
Currently, this method allows for analyzing and detecting landslides as natural disasters. Landslides cause enormous losses to human life and infrastructure.
Causes leading to landslides include slope erosion, overhydration, seismic activity, and other processes. However, landslides often cause greater damage compared to the initial disaster.
Laser scanning is indispensable today for addressing landslide issues and their consequences. This natural disaster can often be prevented or its consequences minimized.
Scanning data gather information on risk zones. Specialists identify areas most susceptible to the problem. The technology is also used for flood monitoring. Compared to aerial photography, laser scanning provides more detailed examination of objects, capturing details impossible to detect with other technologies.
Laser scanning is a valuable modern tool for observation and detailed monitoring. However, its primary advantage lies in its ability to detect areas at risk and where landslides are likely to occur in advance.
Causes of Landslides
One of the main reasons for landslides is changes in the basic characteristics of the soil in a specific area. This results in changes in the slope angle, surface roughness, and flow rate characteristics. Factors such as forest fires, deforestation, or anthropogenic factors often influence these changes.
Specialists distinguish between two types of landslides: small and large. A large landslide involves the displacement of a whole mountain fragment, while in the second case, only the surface soil layer is affected. Laser scanning allows the detection of most large landslide areas and determines the location of smaller ones.
Detailed Analysis
The method allows for detecting and documenting the details of such events, unmatched by any other approach to date.
Laser scanning is a reliable method for capturing the smallest event details. The data obtained from laser scanning are used for forecasting and determining when a catastrophe may occur based on observations.
Both methods are equally important, and it is difficult to prioritize one over the other. There are landslides that remain dormant, where surface measurements do not indicate any movement. There are also actively developing landslides characterized by surface displacements.
Reducing the Consequences of Natural Disasters
Laser scanning is used in conjunction with modern geoinformation systems. A comprehensive approach significantly improves data quality and accuracy. Specialists responsible for addressing the consequences of natural disasters identify hazardous areas, gaining the ability to explore the causes of landslides and determine the patterns of their occurrence.
This method allows for high-quality modeling, revealing all surface characteristics that simple field observations or aerial photography cannot capture. This advancement elevates landscape modeling and planning to a fundamentally new level, safeguarding lives and preserving infrastructure. The new technology represents a breakthrough in safety and timely assistance in critical situations.
Using laser scanning, specialists regularly update maps with hazardous zones, facilitated by continuous landslide database updates. This modern database is continually updated and publicly accessible, ensuring its relevance and reliability.