Articles | Volume 17, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1713-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1713-2017
Research article
 | 
06 Oct 2017
Research article |  | 06 Oct 2017

Big data managing in a landslide early warning system: experience from a ground-based interferometric radar application

Emanuele Intrieri, Federica Bardi, Riccardo Fanti, Giovanni Gigli, Francesco Fidolini, Nicola Casagli, Sandra Costanzo, Antonio Raffo, Giuseppe Di Massa, Giovanna Capparelli, and Pasquale Versace

Abstract. A big challenge in terms or landslide risk mitigation is represented by increasing the resiliency of society exposed to the risk. Among the possible strategies with which to reach this goal, there is the implementation of early warning systems. This paper describes a procedure to improve early warning activities in areas affected by high landslide risk, such as those classified as critical infrastructures for their central role in society.

This research is part of the project LEWIS (Landslides Early Warning Integrated System): An Integrated System for Landslide Monitoring, Early Warning and Risk Mitigation along Lifelines.

LEWIS is composed of a susceptibility assessment methodology providing information for single points and areal monitoring systems, a data transmission network and a data collecting and processing center (DCPC), where readings from all monitoring systems and mathematical models converge and which sets the basis for warning and intervention activities.

The aim of this paper is to show how logistic issues linked to advanced monitoring techniques, such as big data transfer and storing, can be dealt with compatibly with an early warning system. Therefore, we focus on the interaction between an areal monitoring tool (a ground-based interferometric radar) and the DCPC. By converting complex data into ASCII strings and through appropriate data cropping and average, and by implementing an algorithm for line-of-sight correction, we managed to reduce the data daily output without compromising the capability for performing.

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Short summary
Landslides are a threat not only to people but also to important infrastructure, like highways. Nowadays there are several monitoring systems that are able to detect slope displacements in order to give prompt alarms. On the other hand, such instruments produce a huge amount of information, which is often not totally used and which can also represent an issue for data storage and transmission. In this paper we explain how we dealt with the large quantity of data provided by one of these tools.
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