Application of remote sensed data for landslide hazard assessment : a UK perspective

The use of remote sensing data for land use planning and engineering purposes in the UK has accelerated with increasing availability. High resolution LiDAR models, now commonly available as 0.25mm resolution data, have become a standard resource for detailed landslide hazard assessment studies. This new generation of high precision data, coupled with developments in pointcloud visualisation software with remote mapping functionality, provides engineering geologists and engineering geomorphologists with a powerful new set of tools for landslide identification for applied geological mapping and surface deformation measurement. We present recent case studies of landslide hazard characterisation and zonation from the Jurassic escarpment in North Yorkshire, England. The ability to interpret degraded landslide features through forest cover using models derived from LiDAR data made recognition possible and improved landslide inventory coverage and quality. The development of algorithms for automated recognition of landslide morphology is also discussed with examples.