A geomatic approach for emergency mapping of shallow landslides

Nel presente contributo viene proposto un approccio geomatico per mappare e caratterizzare dal punto di vista geomorfologico i fenomeni franosi superficiali in situazioni di emergenza. Il metodo è stato applicato durante il rilevamento di una frana che il 27/10/2013 ha interessato la falesia costiera della località "Baia dei Porci", nel Comune di Monte di Procida, in provincia di Napoli. Durante il rilevamento, eseguito parzialmente da barca, sono state scattate 95 foto successivamente elaborate con il software Agisoft PhotoScanTM. Il prodotto ottenuto dall'elaborazione è stato un modello digitale 3D della frana (DEM), georeferenziato nel sistema UTM 33N-WGS84. Dall'elaborazione del DEM eseguita in ESRI ArcGisTM è stato possibile ottenere la carta topografica della frana in scala 1:500, la carta delle pendenze, l'area delle zone di distacco e di deposito ed il volume del materiale franato. Visti i risultati ottenuti si ritiene che l'approccio proposto sia idoneo per essere applicato in situazioni di emergenza provocate da frane superficiali, a supporto delle autorità di Protezione Civile

Using a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) to analyze the stability of a natural rock slope

This paper describes the application of a rotary wing RPAS for monitoring the stability of a natural rock slope in the municipality of Vecchiano (Pisa, Italy). The slope under investigation is approximately oriented NNW-SSE and has a length of about 320 m; elevation ranges from about 7 to 80 m a.s.l.. The hill consists of stratified limestone, somewhere densely fractured, with dip direction predominantly oriented in a normal way respect to the slope. Fracture traces are present in variable lengths, from decimetre to metre, and penetrate inward the rock versant with thickness difficult to estimate, often exceeding one meter in depth. The intersection between different fracture systems and the slope surface generates rocky blocks and wedges of variable size that may be subject to phenomena of gravitational instability (with reference to the variation of hydraulic and dynamic conditions). Geometrical and structural info about the rock mass, necessary to perform the analysis of the slope stability, were obtained in this work from geo-referenced 3D point clouds acquired using photogrammetric and laser scanning techniques. In particular, a terrestrial laser scanning was carried out from two different point of view using a Leica Scanstation2. The laser survey created many shadows in the data due to the presence of vegetation in the lower parts of the slope and limiting the feasibility of geo-structural survey. To overcome such a limitation, we utilized a rotary wing Aibotix Aibot X6 RPAS geared with a Nikon D3200 camera. The drone flights were executed in manual modality and the images were acquired, according to the characteristics of the outcrops, under different acquisition angles. Furthermore, photos were captured very close to the versant (a few meters), allowing to produce a dense 3D point cloud (about 80 Ma points) by the image processing. A topographic survey was carried out in order to guarantee the necessary spatial accuracy to the process of images exterior orientation. The coordinates of GCPs were calculated through the post-processing of data collected by using two GPS receivers, operating in static modality, and a Total Station. The photogrammetric processing of image blocks allowed us to create the 3D point cloud, DTM, orthophoto, and 3D textured model with high level of cartographic detail. Discontinuities were deterministically characterized in terms of attitude, persistence, and spacing. Moreover, the main discontinuity sets were identified through a density analysis of attitudes in stereographic projection. In addition, the size and shape of potentially unstable blocks identified along the rock slope were measured. Finally, using additional data from traditional engineering-geological surveys executed in accessible outcrops, the kinematic and dynamic stability analysis of the rocky slope was performed. Results from this step have indicated the deterministic safety factors of rock blocks and wedges, and will be used by local Authorities to plan the protection works for safety guarantee. Results from this application show the great advantage of modern RPAS that can be successfully applied for the analysis of sub-vertical rocky slopes, especially in areas either difficult to access with traditional techniques or masked by the presence of vegetation

PRISMA applications for territorial and urban planning

The Italian Tuscany Region, as part of its competences related to the knowledges of land use discipline, has been using, promoting, and maintaining functional territorial information since the 1970s. Nowadays, this activity is carried out not only for the needs of public administration technicians related to territory planning and management, but also for freelancers and citizens free information. However, while for some types of services in administrative procedures, territorial information from an aerial platform is still preferred, attention in recent years has also shifted to the possible use of optical satellite data. For this reason, the Tuscany Region in 2018 started an agreement with ASI and begun a pilot project in collaboration with UniSI and CNR. The project, still in progress, has as its first objective the mapping of the main materials that make up the city roofs (brick, cement conglomerates, bituminous conglomerates, metal, plastic, silicon, etc.) with the goal of implementing the attributes of their Land Use/Land Cover databases that are stably issued, every 3 years, since 2007. The first results clearly express the fundamental contribution of the hyperspectral data but, at the same time, highlight some intrinsic limits to the PRISMA mission, easily to be overcome and, we hope, interesting proposals for future hyperspectral missions

UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar: an example for the stability analysis of a mountain rock debris slope

This paper describes scientific research conducted to highlight the potential of an integrated GPR-UAV system in engineering-geological applications. The analysis focused on the stability of a natural scree slope in the Germanasca Valley, in the western Italian Alps. As a consequence of its steep shape and the related geological hazard, the study used different remote sensed methodologies such as UAV photogrammetry and geophysics survey by a GPR-drone integrated system. Furthermore, conventional in-situ surveys led to the collection of geological and geomorphological data. The use of the UAV-mounted GPR allowed us to investigate the bedrock depth under the detrital slope deposit, using a non-invasive technique able to conduct surveys on inaccessible areas prone to hazardous conditions for operators. The collected evidence and the results of the analysis highlighted the stability of the slope with Factors of Safety, verified in static conditions (i.e., natural static condition and static condition with snow cover), slightly above the stability limit value of 1. On the contrary, the dynamic loading conditions (i.e., seismic action applied) showed a Factor of Safety below the stability limit value. The UAV-mounted GPR represented an essential contribution to the surveys allowing the definition of the interface debris deposit-bedrock, which are useful to design the slope model and to evaluate the scree slope stability in different conditions

3D change detection analysis of a coastal landslide performed by multi-temporal point clouds comparison

The structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetric technique (FONSTAD et al., 2013) has become a suitable method to obtain high resolution topography data in a wide range of geomorphic environments (PASSALACQUA et al., 2015). SfM is designed to reconstruct the three-dimensional geometry of buildings and objects from randomly acquired images, and represents a low cost option respect to traditional photogrammetric and lidar techniques (FONSTAD et al., 2013). In this way, also the 3D geometry of complex natural surfaces can be achieved with a horizontal and vertical accuracy which depend on the choice of sensor for images acquisition, platform (e.g., UAV, boat, vehicle), and method of assignment of geodetic coordinates to the digital data. In advanced geomorphic applications, repeated photogrammetric surveys at different times allow to detect topographic changes in order to map or monitor erosion, deposition and develop sediment budgets. In this work we present a 3D change detection analysis related to a coastal landslide occurred on 27th October 2013 along the coastal sector of the Campi Flegrei volcanic district, Southern Italy (ESPOSITO et al., 2015). A total of four photogrammetric surveys have been carried out in about two years (Fig. 1), by using a UAV platform for one survey and boats for the other three. In order to accurately define the exterior orientation of images, a topographic survey was also carried out, measuring a series of natural and artificial ground control points external to the landslide area with a long-range Total Station. Images were processed using Agisoft PhotoScan® (http://www.agisoft.com), and 3D point clouds were compared through the "Multiscale Model to Model Cloud Comparison (M3C2)" plugin (LAGUE et al., 2013) included in CloudCompare open source software (http://www.danielgm.net/cc/). The plugin allowed us to estimate orthogonal distances between multitemporal point clouds as well as uncertainty related to each distance measurement. SfM processing of each survey resulted in dense point clouds and high-resolution orthophotos. An average coregistration error between clouds was estimated as 11 cm. As output of the M3C2 distance computation we obtained three new clouds in which each point was characterized by distance and uncertainty attributes (Fig. 2). Points corresponding to statistically significant changes were exported and interpolated in ESRI ArcGis® for volume calculation. Volumetric data show that the landslide deposit at cliff toe was progressively eroded by the sea, while landslide scar was affected by a moderate erosion in the first three months after the 2013 landslide event, as well as by a deep erosion between the second and third surveys. Nevertheless, a negligible eroded volume between 2015 and 2016 surveys was estimated in this area. Deposited sediments decreased through time in the whole landslide area so that, generally, a geomorphic evolution moving towards an equilibrium condition seems to be taking place. The study here described highlights a high potentiality of the SfM and cloud-to-cloud distance computation techniques in geomorphology, both for accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis and for hazard and risk assessment. The studied landslide threats indeed a series of residential buildings located close to the retreating cliff edge

Multispectral, Thermographic and Spectroradiometric Analyses Unravel Bio-Stimulatory Effects of Wood Distillate in Field-Grown Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Wood distillate (WD) has recently emerged as a promising bio-stimulant for sustainable legume crop production, owing to its ability to enhance seed yield and quality. However, no studies exist on the effects of WD on chickpea plants at pre-harvesting stages, hindering the farmers' ability to acquire valuable knowledge on the early action of WD on the plants' status and preventing the establishment of proactive measures to optimize WD use in agriculture. In this study, two multispectral, thermographic and spectroradiometric surveys, along with in-situ measurements of specific plant biometric traits, were conducted across the reproductive stage of field-grown chickpea in order to evaluate the early involvement of WD on plant health. The acquired multispectral images were used to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), revealing a notable similar to 35% increase in NDVI scores of WD-treated plants at the onset of physiological maturity, and indicating an improved plant status compared to the control (water-treated) plants. Moreover, control and WD-treated plants exhibited distinct spectral signatures across the visible, near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectra, suggesting potential changes in their photosynthetic capacity, structural properties and water content both at the leaf and at the pod level. Furthermore, WD-treated plants showed a 25% increase in pod production, particularly at the beginning of seed maturity, suggesting that enhancements in plant status were also reflected in higher pod yields. These results point to a beneficial effect of WD on plant health during the preliminary stages of seed formation and indicate that a combination of both multispectral and spectroradiometric analyses can provide critical insights on the status of chickpea crops at pre-harvesting stages. In addition, these findings emphasize the importance of analyzing pre-harvesting stages to gain insights into the early involvement of WD in promoting plant health and, ultimately, in predicting final crop yields

Analisi di stabilità di un pendio detritico montano tramite impiego di georadar installato su drone

Il presente lavoro descrive le attività svolte in merito alla verifica della stabilità di un pendio detritico naturale posto in zona montana di difficile accesso nella catena delle Alpi Occidentali. I dati necessari alle analisi sono stati raccolti ed elaborati attraverso tecniche geomatiche quali, in particolare, rilievi fotogrammetrici con drone con lo scopo di acquisire delle foto prospettiche dalle quali produrre una nuvola di punti georeferenziata e successivamente un ortofotomosaico. Il rilievo è stato eseguito con un drone tipo DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Contestualmente ai rilievi fotogrammetrici sono stati eseguiti rilievi topografici di Ground Control Points necessari nella fase di orientamento esterno dei fotogrammi. I fotogrammi sono stati elaborati utilizzando il software Agisoft Metashape. La nuvola 3D densa prodotta è stata successivamente interpolata in modo da generare un modello digitale denso della superficie (DDSM) in formato raster. Sulla base del DDSM sono state ortocorrette le immagini fotografiche ottenendo degli ortofotomosaici. Allo scopo di determinare lo spessore della coltre detritica naturale al di sopra del bedrock, sono stati eseguiti 2 rilievi geofisici utilizzando lo strumento COBRA Plug‐In GPR Model SE-150, installato su drone DJI M600Pro. L’indagine si è svolta sorvolandolo direttamente l’area di interesse a circa 1.5 metri dalla superficie e raggiungendo aree altrimenti non investigabili per motivi di sicurezza. I dati del rilievo georadar sono stati elaborati con l’ausilio dell’applicativo PRISM® 2.6. La nuvola di punti 3D ottenuta dal rilievo fotogrammetrico ha permesso la ricostruzione delle corrette geometrie del corpo detritico naturale. Tramite il software open source CloudCompare Omnia, sono stati selezionati profili rappresentativi dell’area di interesse in seguito importati all’interno del software RocScience Slide2. La ricostruzione della profondità del contatto tra la copertura detritica e il bedrock è stata eseguita estrapolando le informazioni ricavate dalle tracce georadar più prossime al profilo di interesse. Le verifiche sono state effettuate valutando diversi scenari quali: condizioni statiche, dinamiche con presenza di sisma, condizioni statiche con presenza di neve e dinamiche con presenza contemporanea di neve e sisma. L’impiego del georadar installato su un drone si è dimostrato un ottimo metodo di indagine in situazioni in cui l’area di studio risulta essere inaccessibile alle classiche analisi geofisiche per motivi morfologici e di sicurezza. La combinazione quindi di dati ottenuti tramite rilievi topo-cartografici e areofotogrammetrici con rilievo geofisico da drone ha permesso lo studio della stabilità di un versante naturale in area critica

Predict: Assessing the Seismic Response in the city of Rome, Part 1. New Data for a Geologic Overview

This work presents the preliminary results of the stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, micropaleontologic and geochronologic investigations carried out on the cores of three boreholes performed in the historic center of Rome within the Predict Project, aimed at evaluating the seismic response within the City through the 3D modeling of the subsoil. Moreover, we have integrated the investigations on the cores of four previously performed boreholes and we use this larger dataset to provide an objective element for the interpretation and validation of a large databank of paper stratigraphies of boreholes carried out for civil engineering purposes in the Roman area. The new data are presented within an exhaustive review of state of the art on the scientific knowledge on the geology of Rome, aimed at providing an updated background for the Quaternary scientists, seismologists, engineers and professional technicians operating in this region. Within this framework, we provide a detailed reconstruction of the chronostratigraphic setting in central Rome, highlighting a coherent picture within the glacio‐eustatic control on the sedimentary processes and providing the background geological input data for the creation of a geo‐database in a dynamic GIS environment, which is the subject of a forthcoming sister‐paper