Landslide monitoring and prediction system using geosensors and wireless sensor network

Abstract Landslides in hilly regions are a frequently occurring natural phenomenon which takes a heavy toll of human lives and causes damage to different properties. Hence, prediction of landslide is essential for averting its deleterious effects by providing early warning to neighboring residents about the impending hazard of landslide. A landslide monitoring system has been designed using geosensors and high-range wireless network for on-line monitoring and prediction of landslides with the application of multivariate statistical analysis of prevailing site parameters. The system consists of various geosensors, wireless sensor network, server, and landslide monitoring and forecasting software. Crackmeter, in-place inclinometer, raingauge, tiltmeter, piezometer and other sensors are set up in the selected hill slope prone to landslide for continuous monitoring of influencing parameters. The system measures real-time landslide parameters using the said geosensors connected with wireless nodes and establishing a dynamic wireless network to overcome redundancy issue using wireless nodes of around 1200 m communication range using a high performance low power microcontroller, integrated solar panel and additional external omni-directional antenna for monitoring landslide in a large and hazardous hilly region from a distant safer location. The application software consists of different modules, namely data monitoring, analysis, storing, viewing, prediction, and generation of audio-visual, SMS and email alerts for 3 levels of landslides situations. The paper enumerates the system architecture and the application software details. Graphical Abstract