Landslide Detection and Propagation using Wireless Sensor Network

Abstract

Landslides have frequently occurred on natural slopes during periods of intense rainfall. With a rapidly
increasing population on or near steep terrain in Korea, landslides have become one of the most significant natural
hazards. Thus, it is necessary to protect people from landslides and to minimize the damage of houses, roads and other
facilities. To accomplish this goal, many landslide prediction methods have been developed around the world. In this
study, a prototype of landslide detection is introduced. This system is based on the wireless sensor network (WSN) that
is composed of sensor nodes, gateway, and server system. Sensor nodes comprising sensing and communication part
are implemented to detect ground movement. A sensing part is designed to measure inclination angle and acceleration
accurately, and a communication part is deployed with Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1) module to transmit the data to the
gateway. To verify the feasibility of this landslide prediction system, a series of experimental studies was performed at
a small-scale earth slope equipped with an artificial rainfall dropping device. It is found that sensing nodes planted at
slope can detect the ground motion when the slope starts to move. It is expected that the prototype of landslide
detection can provide early warnings when landslides occurs.