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UAV: Low-cost remote sensing for high-

resolution investigation of landslides

Conference Paper July 2015

DOI: 10.1109/IGARSS.2015.7327042

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Daniele Giordan Andrea Manconi

Italian National Research Council ETH Zurich
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 UAV: low-cost remote sensing for high-resolution
investigation of landslides
Daniele Giordan, Andrea Manconi, Dwayne D. Tannant, Paolo Allasia
Daniele Giordan*, Andrea Manconi, Paolo Allasia
Italian National Research Council
IRPI - Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection
Torino, Italy
*daniele.giordan@irpi.cnr.it
Abstract The civilian use of small inexpensive mini- and
micro-UAVs has increased dramatically in the past few years.
UAVs can be used for natural hazards management. In this
context, UAVs can be very useful for surveying and monitoring
of active small landslides in urban environments. In this paper,
a methodology for the data acquisition and processing that
considers the landslide typology is presented and discussed. Two
case studies from the northwest part of Italy are also described
to illustrate the presented methodology.
I. INTRODUCTION
In the past few years, the civilian use of mini- and micro-
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has experienced
exponential growth. Starting mainly from archeology
applications [1], the use of these systems has progressively
extended to other disciplines. Recently, UAVs have been
used in the field of natural hazards assessment, mainly
because of the possibility of having low-cost systems to
obtain high-resolution data. Examples include the study of
volcanoes [2], seismogenic areas [3], and mass wasting
phenomena such landslides [4] and debris flows [5].
Focusing on the study of landslides, the use of micro-UAVs
is a suitable solution, in particular for small active landslides,
where a quantitative approach is needed but the budget is
very low compared with the resources usually available for
larger phenomena. For landslides involving relatively small
areas, the use of micro-UAVs can be very convenient. For
example, they can be used to acquire high-resolution images
that can be used for a 3D model reconstruction using the
structure from motion technique [6, 7]. This approach is
particularly useful in urban areas, where gravitational
phenomena can involve houses, roads, or other infrastructure,
and can cause significant damage. In this scenario, a quickly
deployable and low-cost system is needed to (i) survey the
ground surface and damage to structures; (ii) perform multi-
temporal analysis of the landslide morphology; (iii) and
follow the evolution of the gravitational phenomena. All
these activities are important for the comprehension of active
landslide phenomena, and eventually to plan remedial
measures.
Up to now, most of the published literature associated
with UAVs and natural hazards deals mainly with the image
acquisition and post processing phases, up to the construction
of 3D models. However, with the recent development of
978-1-4799-7929-5/15/$31.00 2015 IEEE
Dwayne D. Tannant
School of Engineering
University of British Columbia
Kelowna, Canada
powerful user-friendly software and algorithms to process
images acquired from UAVs, there is now a need to establish
robust methodologies and best-practice guidelines for correct
use of 3D models generated in the context of landslide
phenomena. In this paper, we propose a straightforward
methodology for an effective use of 3D model processed
from UAVs. Moreover, we demonstrate the results of two
recent applications on case studies of active landslides.
II. UAV DATA PROCESSING FOR LANDSLIDE STUDY
When slope movements are first detected, an important
step in the landslide assessment is a quantitative survey of the
unstable area. For this purpose, detailed orthophotos are a
valuable resource for mapping the main morphological
features, and for classifying the active phenomenon. When
the size of the landslide is very large, the use mini- or micro-
UAVs may not be appropriate. However, in these cases the
potential risk often justifies the use of airplanes or helicopters
carrying powerful and expensive tools, such as aerial laser
scanners (LiDAR) or metric cameras to measure the ground
surface and to produce digital elevation models (DEMs) and
orthophotos [8, 9]. This requires the availability of costly
instruments, specific know-how, and usually very expensive
software. For smaller landslides, the production of DEMs and
orthophotos can be instead performed by using photos
acquired by standard digital cameras mounted on light weight
UAVs, and processing can be performed by open source or
commercial software at reasonable costs. According to our
experience, the use of a UAV for landslide studies has to
consider two important elements: (i) the slope angle of the
unstable area and (ii) the landslide typology.
A UAVs operational range is a critical parameter that
depends not only on the UAV performance but also depends
on restrictions imposed by flight regulations in different
countries. However, in general, the use of UAVs is practical
for areas of less than 0.5 km2, which corresponds to relatively
small landslides. Despite their size, small landslides are a
common problem in urban areas and affect infrastructure,
causing considerable damage.
5344 IGARSS 2015
 Fig. 1. Flow chart with the proposed methodology for the use of UAVs for high resolution investigation of landslides.
Considering the slope materials and gradient, it is
possible to identify two different categories of surveys with
UAVs:
Steep to vertical areas (>40) are often affected by
rock falls. The flight plan for the UAV is often
designed with the camera pointed horizontally to
approximately 50 downward in order to take images
roughly perpendicular to the slope. The UAV is
typically flown under manual control because reliance
on preselected GPS waypoints very close to rock
walls is not possible. In this case, the most efficient
systems are multi-rotor UAVs, which have good
position control and can hold a position in hovering
mode.
Slopes with gentle to moderate slopes (<40) are more
prone to landslides. Mission planning for gentle to
moderate slopes can be designed using vertical or
nadir image acquisition, and either fixed-wing or
multi-rotor UAVs can be used.
The gradient of the slope and the type of UAV used have
implications not only on the UAV mission planning, but also
on the approach used for processing and analysis of data as
illustrated in Fig. 1. If we consider rock falls, UAVs can be
employed for emergency site inspection, when part of the
rock wall has already collapsed but others sectors of the rock
wall remain unstable. In this case, the access to a high
resolution 3D model of the area is essential for delineation of
the unstable sectors and their volumes. Thus, the acquired
dataset can be used for the generation of a DEM and an
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orthophoto. The 3D models constructed from the images can
be used for structural analysis [10]. For example, the
identification and mapping of the main joint sets are very
useful for rapid analysis of the slope stability using the
Markland test [11]. The 3D models can be used to estimate
the residual risk and determine whether road closures or
building evacuation must occur or if remediation can begin.
The availability of a high-resolution dataset can be also used
for more complex analyses of the unstable area using
numerical models such as analysis of potential rock fall
trajectory paths.
For investigation of landslides, the photographs taken
from a UAV can be converted into high-resolution ortho-
rectified images of the slope. These orthophotos can be used
for rapid mapping of the main morphological elements. By
repeating the survey and acquiring images with a UAV at
different times, a study of the landslide displacement
dynamics can be performed (e.g. identification of areas that
are moving and the movement direction). The evolution of
the landslide can be detected by comparing the defined limits
of the mass movement, and by measuring the displacement
of several morphological elements recognizable in the
different images.
Access to a DEM can be very useful for the determining
the volume of the unstable mass, although an estimation of
the depth of the sliding surface is still needed. All these data
can be used for the calibration of numerical models to analyze
slope stability and define of remedial measures.
 Fig. 2. Comparison between the rock wall before (A) and after (B) the rockslide event of March 7, 2014.

In the following sections, two different case studies are
presented to demonstrate the methodology: the San Germano
rockslide and the Pian della Mussa landslide, both located in
the Torino Province of Italy.
III. SAN GERMANO ROCKSLIDE CASE STUDY
San Germano is a small municipality in Torino Province
(NW Italy) where on March 7, 2014 part of a rock slope
above Provincial Road 168 collapsed and blocked the only
road to the town of Pramollo and its 200 inhabitants (further
details in [12]). This case study the UAV was used in an
emergency situation. A survey using a multi-rotor UAV was
performed one day before the event and immediately after the
event giving a complete dataset of the rockslide.
Fig. 2 shows the rock slope immediately before and after
the collapse of the unstable mass. As described by Giordan et
al. [12], the dataset of images and videos recorded by the
UAV were used during the first phases of the emergency
management and led to a timely decision to close the road.
After the collapse, the images were used to analyze the new
condition of the rock slope and to help design rock
stabilization works. For the first surveys, the UAV was
equipped with a GoPro camera. Over 100 image frames were
extracted from a video shot with the GoPro camera. These
images were processed in photogrammetry software to
construct a detailed point cloud and 3D model of the rock
slope. Additional terrestrial photos acquired with a Nikon
AW100 camera were also used. To georeference the before
and after models, ground control points were identified and
measured using a reflectorless total station and a dual
frequency GPS.
The 3D models were used to identify the orientation of
the joint sets contributing the rockslide, the thickness of the
slabs of rock that failed and the volume of the unstable area.
Figure 3 shows the plots of the two sets joints that caused the
rockslide. A planar stepped rockslide occurred with the rock
sliding down bedding planes that had an average dip of 52
toward a bearing of 188. Another steeply dipping joint set
oriented roughly perpendicular to the bedding (average dip of
75 toward 295) provided a lateral release surface for the
slabs that failed. The slabs of rock that slid down onto the
road varied in thicknesses between 2.5 and 4.5 m.
Fig. 3. Stereoplot of poles to planes mapped in the 3D models corresponding
the bedding and a dominant cross-cutting joint set.
IV. PIAN DELLA MUSSA LANDSLIDE
The second case study presented is the Pian della Mussa
landslide and debris flow in the Balme municipality, Torino
Province (NW Italy). This slide started to move in the spring
of 2014 when a part of the toe deposit generated a debris flow
that covered a road located in the bottom part of the valley.
The slide was surveyed with a UAV on July 22, 2014, thus
only after the event occurrence. The UAV was equipped with
either a GoPro camera or a Canon EOS M camera, which
captured a higher resolution images for the generation of a
detailed orthophoto. The orthophoto had a resolution of 2.5
cm/pixel. The acquisition of five ground control points
measured with a GPS RTK assured an accurate
orthorectification. The orthophoto was used to map the main
geomorphological features and the principal kinematic
domains as shown in Fig. 4. The map shows the presence of
a landslide toe near the edge of the slope. This area is unstable
and may generate new debris flows in future that can reach
the bottom of the valley and damage the road again. The
different geomorphological elements, clearly recognizable in
the orthophotos, will be compared with future orthophotos of

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 Fig. 4. Geomorphological map of Pian della Mussa landslide.
the same area that will also be created using a UAV. This
will enable evaluation the landslide evolution and permit
measurement of ground displacements in different kinematic
domains.
Acknowledgment
We thank Furio Dutto, chief of Civil Defense Service of
Citt Metropolitana di Torino, for the micro-UAV survey
activities.
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