Articles | Volume 17, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-881-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-881-2017
Brief communication
 | 
14 Jun 2017
Brief communication |  | 14 Jun 2017

Brief Communication: A low-cost Arduino®-based wire extensometer for earth flow monitoring

Luigi Guerriero, Giovanni Guerriero, Gerardo Grelle, Francesco M. Guadagno, and Paola Revellino

Abstract. Continuous monitoring of earth flow displacement is essential for the understanding of the dynamic of the process, its ongoing evolution and designing mitigation measures. Despite its importance, it is not always applied due to its expense and the need for integration with additional sensors to monitor factors controlling movement. To overcome these problems, we developed and tested a low-cost Arduino-based wire-rail extensometer integrating a data logger, a power system and multiple digital and analog inputs. The system is equipped with a high-precision position transducer that in the test configuration offers a measuring range of 1023 mm and an associated accuracy of ±1 mm, and integrates an operating temperature sensor that should allow potential thermal drift that typically affects this kind of systems to be identified and corrected. A field test, conducted at the Pietrafitta earth flow where additional monitoring systems had been installed, indicates a high reliability of the measurement and a high monitoring stability without visible thermal drift.

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Short summary
In this paper we present a new Arduino-based wire extensometer developed to provide a low-cost autonomous platform for continuous monitoring of landslides. The system integrates a data logger, a power system, a high-precision position transducer, and has multiple digital and analog inputs. Our field test indicates a high reliability of the measurement and high monitoring stability without visible thermal drift. The on-board temperature sensor might be used to correct/identify thermal drifting.
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