Integrated Geomatics Surveying and Data Management in the Investigation of Slope and Fluvial Dynamics

Abstract

In mountain environments, slope and fluvial dynamics often interact, and their relationship can be investigated through an integrated methodological approach. Landslides are a source of supplying sediments into riverbeds and can interact or interrupt the water course. Water courses can trigger or re-activate slope movements. The complexity of investigating the interaction between the two dynamics needs a complementarity of methods and techniques, combining remote and proximal sensing, geotechnical in situ surveys, and repositories and catalogue datasets. This leads to a synergistic use of all the heterogeneous data from different fields and formats. The present paper provides a literature review on the approaches and surveying procedures adopted in the investigation of slope and fluvial dynamics and highlights the need to improve the integrated management of geospatial information complemented by quality information. In this regard, we outline a geodatabase structure capable of handling the variety of geoscientific data available at different spatial and temporal scales, with derived products that are useful in integrated monitoring tasks. Indeed, the future adoption of a shared physical structure would allow the merging and synergistic use of data provided by different surveyors as well as the effective storing and sharing of datasets from a monitoring perspective.

Multitemporal Analysis of Slow-Moving Landslides and Channel Dynamics through Integrated Remote Sensing and In Situ Techniques

“…Indeed, the rate of sediment supply is controlled by the strength of coupling between sediment sources and channels; this is related to the lateral sediment connectivity, which is defined as the specific linkage between the channel network and the hillslopes [17][18][19][20]. Thus, mass-wasting processes can be important sources of sediment supply where the landslide toe reaches the riverbed and eventually obstructs the water flow [21][22][23][24].…”

“…The accuracies and resolutions of the generated reconstructions need to be evaluated and implemented in monitoring studies as they define the detectable geometric changes and the significance of computed distances [75][76][77][78][79][80]. When dealing with the monitoring of slow-moving landslides and the investigation of their interaction with fluvial dynamics, the integration of different survey methodologies and the careful design of the field survey are mandatory to perform high-resolution analyses [24].…”