Remote sensing and geophysical surveying are potentially complementary for characterization and monitoring of landslide processes and offer the possibility of arranging a suitable combination of applications to effectively infer and correlate surface/subsurface information needed for numerical and conceptual models of slope instabilities. Their potential to provide integrated information about geometry, properties and deformation changes has not always been fully exploited. The access to high-performance computers and electronic devices makes the data treatment fast and available for most budgets, opening new possibilities.
The progress in digital photogrammetry and cartography, in GPS surveying, in multi-temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar differential interferometry (DInSAR), the availability of high spatial resolution airborne or terrestrial LIDAR data, optical and radar satellite imagery, as well as future launches of sophisticated satellite systems, hold the premise for ever increasing use of remote sensing and Earth Observation (EO) data in landslide investigations. In particular, it is expected that the exploitation of data from new radar sensors suitably integrated with GPS, laser scanner and in situ information will improve significantly our current capabilities to detect and monitor ground deformations related to slope instability phenomena. Similarly, the progress in geophysical data processing and interpretation methods make now largely affordable sophisticated techniques like seismic reflection, surface waves analysis and tomography (both seismic and electrical).
This session is intended to provide an overview of the progress of air- and space-borne EO applications, as well as of surface- and borehole-based geophysical information for landslide investigations. A special emphasis is expected about the interpretation and the use of data to characterize slope material, geometrical and mechanical properties, the depth of water table, saturation conditions and deformation. The discussion of experiences and methods that integrate data from remote sensing and geophysics with other survey types are highly encouraged, especially with regard to their use in modeling and monitoring of landslide behavior, as well as in early-warning efforts.