Application Form for World Centre Excellence on Landslide Risk Reduction
2017-2020
1. Name of Organization: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze (DST-UNIFI)
2. Name of Leader: Nicola Casagli Full Professor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze Via La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze
Ph: +39 055 2757523, Fax: +39 055 2756323
Core members of the activities:
Filippo Catani, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze Veronica Tofani, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze Sandro Moretti, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze Riccardo Fanti, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze Giovanni Gigli, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze Stefano Morelli, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Firenze
3. Date of Submission of Application: 20/07/2016
4. Activity scale and targeted region: Global
5. Short Title: Advanced Technologies for LandSlides (ATLaS)
6. Objectives for the initial 3 years: The objective is to develop new methodologies and advanced technologies for landslide risk reduction. DST-UNIFI will carry out research and development (R&D) for the prevention and management of landslides, in order to support policies and actions of risk reduction. In particular the project will focus on the development of advanced methodology useful for applications on landslides such as:
Innovative technologies (Ground-based SAR interferometry, UAV, Laser Scanner) for landslide monitoring and early warning;
EO (Earth Observation) data and technology to detect, map, monitor and forecast ground deformations;
International Consortium on Landslides 138-1 Tanaka-Asukai cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8226, Japan
Tel:+81 (75) 723 0640, Fax:+81(75) 950 0910
, URL: http://www.iplhq.org/
International Consortium on Landslides UNITWIN Headquarters Building Kyoto University Uji Campus
Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Tel: +81(774 ) 38 4834, Fax: +81 (774) 38 4019
Regional landslide forecasting models.
7. Background Justification: Landslides are one of the most serious geological hazards, which threaten and influence the socio-economic conditions of many countries in Europe and worldwide, causing damages and casualties. Risk arises from the interplay of these landslides with social and cultural factors, such as urbanization, emergency planning, risk preparedness and knowledge. Short and long-term climate change trends are contributing to a steady increase in the intensity and frequency of disasters so that the definition of reliable and usable operative procedures and technologies for the prediction of risks is urgent and strategic.
In 2015 the Sendai Partnership 2015/2025 was launched at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and by the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL), for global promotion of understanding and reducing landslide disaster risk. It was accepted and singed by 16 United Nations and international stakeholders, and National Organizations.
In this framework and even though the recent flowering of scientific knowledge, research in landslide fields still needs development and improvements especially concerning the methodologies and technologies for landslide risk reduction and population safety. In particular, landslide hazard and risk assessment will benefit from new and advanced technologies for landslide monitoring and early warning, from EO data for detection and mapping and regional forecasting models for landslides.
8. Resources available for WCoE activities:
The DST-UNIFI staff counts:
• 4 professors and associate professors
• 4 researchers
• 5 technicians
• 21 post-doc fellows
• 9 PhD students
• 3 senior collaborators
The facilities of the research group include: Laboratories:
• GIS and thematic mapping laboratory
• Remote Sensing laboratory specialized on SAR interferometry, optical and hyperspectral remote
sensing
• Rock and Soil mechanics laboratory Equipment:
• GBInSAR monitoring systems
• UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, SATURN)
• Compact submarine remotely controlled (NEMO-ROV)
• Rock and soil mechanics field and laboratory equipment
• Advanced geotechnical and hydrogeological modelling software
• GPS and topographical survey instrumentation
• 3D laser scanner
• Airborne multi-sensor surveyer
• Access to real-time meteorological services
• Fieldspec spectroradiometer
• Infrared Camera
• Robotized total stations
• Electrical resistivity, electromagnetic and seismic surveying instrumentation
The group also operates a number of field instrumented test sites for environmental monitoring and slope instability assessment, such as the landslide observatory in Stromboli.
DST-UNIFI is a member of ICL since 2002 and it has been involved in several IPL projects such as: IPL C103: Global landslide observation strategy (GLOS), Proposers: K. Takara and N. Casagli
IPL C104: World Landslide Database (WLD), Proposer: Hiroshi Fukuoka, Members of the project: Nicola Casagli, Peter Bobrowsky, Alain Grignon, Maia L. Ibsen, Lynn Highland
IPL196: Development and applications of a multi-sensors drone for geohazards monitoring and mapping, Proposer: Veronica Tofani
IPL198: Multi-scale rainfall triggering models for Early Warning of Landslides (MUSE), Proposer: Filippo Catani
DST-UNIFI has been already awarded as World Centre of Excellence (WCoE) for Landslide Risk Reduction for three times (2008-2010, 2011-2013, 2014-2016).
9. Description of past activities related to risk reduction of landslides and other related earth system disasters
Since 2004, the Earth Sciences Department of the University of Firenze (UNIFI) is the official Centre of Competence of the Italian Civil Protection for Remote Sensing and Geohazards (Directive of the Italian Prime Minister of 27 February 2004; Decree of the Head of the Italian National Civil Protection Department no. 252 of 25 January 2005). It is one of the largest centres for scientific and technological services on geohazards in Italy, currently composed by 46 full-time employees (see section 8 on resources available). DST-UNIFI group has earned a firm reputation for its practical, problem solving approach to the geosciences, which has led to the establishment of solid ties with numerous governmental agencies and private enterprises alike. The group participates in research and technological development projects in several areas of the world, often in active collaboration with international, national and regional organizations and agencies. The main objective of the group is to focus on landslide studies at all scales with an emphasis that in recent years moved towards the application and development of new technologies for landslide disaster prevention, monitoring and early warning with special emphasis on remote sensing and regional landslide forecasting models. The work on these topics has produced hundreds of scientific publications relating upon landslide studies ranging from slope to regional scale.
In June 2016, the DST-UNIFI has successfully established an UNESCO Chair on Prevention and sustainable management of geo-hydrological hazards,
The mission of the Chair is to promote research and development (R&D) for the prevention and management of geo-hydrological hazards, in order to support policies and actions of risk reduction.
In particular, the Chair aims at the implementation of the Sendai Partnership 2015/2025, launched at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and by the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL), for global promotion of understanding and reducing landslide disaster risk, which was also signed by UNESCO and the Italian Government, among other partners and UN organizations. Applied research for a Safer Society will be the main keyword of the Chair.
The proposed Chair will address specific targets in capacity-building, transfer of knowledge and strengthening links between higher education and development bodies.
The specific objectives of the Chair are:
1. to promote the development of innovative technologies for the prevention and mitigation of
geo-hydrological hazards;
2. to develop tools and procedures for supporting risk reduction policies and emergency management for the safety of the human life;
3. to promote the protection of cultural heritage threatened by geo-hydrological hazards;
4. to promote research at international level by offering scientific facilities to postgraduated students and visiting researchers.
The recent achievements of UNIFI are best summarized by the activities connected to the status of WCoE being held by UNIFI in the years 2008-2010, renewed in 2011-2013 and 2014-2016. The achievements have mainly concerned the:
Ground-based SAR interferometry for landslide monitoring and development of reliable procedures and technologies for early warning.
EO (Earth Observation) data and technology to detect, map, monitor and forecast ground deformations.
Coupling of short-term weather forecasting with geotechnical modelling for shallow landslide prediction.
In general, these objectives were, and are now, being pursued through several national and international research projects. Among the international projects, the LAMPRE EC-funded project has proposed to execute innovative research and technological developments for the increase of GMES limited operational capacity to cope with triggered landslide events and their consequences, in Europe and elsewhere. The project has improved the ability to detect/map landslides, assess/forecast the impact of triggered landslide events on vulnerable elements, and model landscape changes caused by slope failures. The LIFE+-funded WI-GIM (Wireless sensor network for Ground Instability Monitoring) project aims to develop an accurate, flexible and low-cost system for ground deformation monitoring. RESOLUTE (Resilience Management Guidelines And Operationalization Applied To Urban Transport Environment), an HORIZON 2020 project, aims at proposing european guidelines for increasing resilience of transport systems affected by natural disasters and human-related incidents. ECHO SAFETY (Sentinel for Geohazards regional monitoring and forecasting), an EU-funded project, that aims at providing Civil Protection Authorities (CPA) with the capability of periodically evaluating and assessing the potential impact of geohazards (volcanic activities, earthquakes, landslides and subsidences) on urban areas.
10. Planned future activities /Expected Results
The activities proposed are structured into 3 main work packages (WPs) as follows:
• WP1: Innovative technologies for landslide monitoring and early warning
The WP will focus on the application of innovative monitoring techniques in order to estimate the deformational evolution of the landslide masses and the successive operative implementation of Early Warning Systems (EWS). WP1 will focus on the optimization and validation of the operational protocols for technical and scientific support in areas at risk and on the definition of rapid procedures for assessing landslide risk and proper managing of each emergency situation. This will be achieved by the synergistic use of rapid mobile units for localized survey based on terrestrial, marine and airborne sensors. The technologies to be used in the terrestrial monitoring system will be: Ground-Based Radar (GB-InSAR), Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), Laser Scanner (LIDAR and TLS), Thermographic Camera , Robotic Total Station (TPS), Multi-Beam Eco Sounder. The supplementary use of marine and airborne sensors will be concretely achievable with the same accuracy because the drone structure (SATURN) and the ROV vehicle (Remotely operated underwater vehicle: NEMO), recently patented by the DST-UNIFI, are capable of mounting integrative technologies that meet the required demands
• WP2: EO (Earth Observation) data and technology to detect, map, monitor and forecast ground deformations
This WP will deal with the exploitation of the large data archives of EO data for geo-hazards mapping. WP2 will be aimed at improving the satellite surveillance system based on all the EO data (radar, multi- and hyperspectral) already available from several satellites (ERS, ENVISAT, RADARSAT, COSMO-SkyMed). Such integrated system will be designed for the identification, rapid mapping, monitoring and analysis of risk scenarios. Under the European program, called Copernicus, the recent launch of the SENTINEL-1 satellite (able to provide information in continuity with those from ERS and ENVISAT) offers new opportunities for monitoring the Earth's surface and for the evaluation of ground movements. A special attention will be devoted to the integrated use of EO and ground-based monitoring data from WP1.
• WP3: Regional landslide forecasting models
The WP3 will focus on the optimization of the regional early warning system for landslide risk by means of meteorological nowcasting and real-time forecasting of slope movements that are characterized by rapid and very fast kinematic. The planned activities are: i) updating the physically based model (HIRESSS model) mainly with improvements to the calculation routines; ii) improvement of statistical forecasting models
(SIGMA and MACUMBA models) through the optimization of rainfall thresholds calibrated using rainfall data obtained by rain gauges and the terrestrial meteorological radar network. WP3 also will deal with geotechnical characterization of soil cover in order to prepare reliable input data for the landslide forecasting physically-based model (HIRESSS).
11. Beneficiaries of WCoE
The beneficiaries of the present project will be National and Regional Civil Protection Agencies and National and Regional Environmental Protection Agencies, the ICL community, the United Nations organizations and Local communities interested in the practical applications of landslide risk reduction measures.
12. References
Carlà T., Intrieri E., Di Traglia F., Nolesini T., Gigli,G., Casagli N. (2016), Guidelines on the use of inverse velocity method as a tool for setting alarm thresholds and forecasting landslides and structure collapses, Landslides, doi:10.1007/s10346-016-0731-5
Ciampalini, A., Raspini, F., Frodella, W., Bardi, F., Bianchini, S., Moretti, S. (2016). The effectiveness of high-resolution LiDAR data combined with PSInSAR data in landslide study. Landslides, 13(2), 399-410.
Margottini, C., Antidze, N., Corominas, J., Crosta, G. B., Frattini, P., Gigli, G., Marinos, P. (2015). Landslide hazard, monitoring and conservation strategy for the safeguard of Vardzia Byzantine monastery complex, Georgia. Landslides, 12(1), 193-204.
Nocentini M., Tofani V., Gigli G., Fidolini F., Casagli N. (2015) Modeling debris flows in volcanic terrains for hazard mapping: the case study of Ischia Island (Italy), Landslides, Volume 12, Issue 5, pp 831–846.
Rosi A., Peternel T., Jemec-Auflic M., Komak M., Segoni S., Casagli N. (2016), Rainfall thresholds for rainfall-induced landslides in Slovenia, Landslides, doi:10.1007/s10346-016-0733-3
Segoni, S. Lagomarsino, D. Fanti, R. Moretti, S. and Casagli, N. (2015). Integration of rainfall thresholds and susceptibil-ty maps in the Emilia Romagna (Italy) regional-scale landslide warning system, Landslides 12:773–785.
Uzielli M, Catani F., Tofani V., Casagli N. (2015). Risk analysis for the Ancona landslide - —I: characterization of landslide kinematics, Landslides, Volume 12, Issue 1, pp 69-82
Uzielli, M., Catani, F., Tofani, V., & Casagli, N. (2015). Risk analysis for the Ancona landslide—II: estimation of risk to buildings. Landslides, 12(1), 83-100.
13. If your organization is an ongoing WCoE 2014-2017, please attach the articles reporting activities of WCoE, IPL project and ICL network published/contributed to either in Landslides: Journal of International Consortium on Landslides or/and the Fourth World Landslide Forum 2017.