The artificial neural network for the rockfall susceptibility assessment. A case study in Basilicata (Southern Italy)

This paper presents the results obtained by the elaboration of an artificial neuronal network for the creation of a rockfall susceptibility map. The analysis was carried out by analysing the predisposing and triggering factors of the rockfall phenomenon. The parameters considered for this study and representing the input data of the artificial neural network are factors such as: gradient, soil use, lithology, rockfall source areas and kinetic energy values obtained by considering the probable pathways of the blocks through simulations with dedicated softwares, DEMs and niches of the rockfalls that have already occurred in the past. The processing of this data (required in a versatile dedicated software for the realization of the artificial neural network in ASCII format) is done using GIS softwares, useful tools for the creation of hazard maps. An important step is the realization of the rockfall inventory map: it allows to identify the training set (consisting of 50% of the pixels relative to the rockfall niches) for the network training and the testing set (considering the remaining 50% of the pixels relative to the rockfall niches) to assess the network accuracy by overlaying the rockfall niches belonging to the testing set with the obtained susceptibility map

Landslides Risk Assessment Along Roads: The Transportation Corridors of the “Dolomiti Lucane” (Basilicata)

This paper deals with mass movement risk assessment along roads using a modified qualitative method. In fact, one of the most important problems for transportation corridors is linked to the risk caused by natural phenomena like mass movements and landslides. These events could cause serious damage to people and properties. In particular the roads and motorways, more so than the other communication lines, assume an important role especially in the emergency conditions because their inefficiency could cause substantial damages connected to delays in rescue operations, creating other inconveniences such as social and economic problems. The applied method regards the use of exponential scoring functions allowing the assessment of landslide risk along roads. It has been applied to the three main transportation corridors of the Dolomiti Lucane, in Basilicata (Southern Italy). This method represents an important tool for the preliminary mapping of the landslides risk along roads, allowing researcher to identify the most dangerous slopes and the roads sections that need more detailed investigations and, later, urgent remedial works

Potential rock fall source areas identification and rock fall propagation in the province of Potenza territory using an empirically distributed approach

In this work an overview of the potential rock fall source areas and propagation assessment in the Province of Potenza territory has been presented. The rock fall process is characterized by two steps: the detachment of blocks and subsequently their propagation along the slope. The adopted methodology, used for the first time in the study area, and the software Histofit and FlowR have been very useful tools for the preliminary assessment of rock fall susceptibility at a regional scale, in particular because they have required low data of the study area. Only the DEM may be sufficient together with an appropriate choice of the input parameters and algorithms, that is to say: calculation method, directions algorithm, inertial algorithm and friction loss function. The output of the model is a map of the rock fall source areas, the propagation probabilities and the propagation kinetic energy. The results show that the adopted methodology is successful for the identification of rock fall source areas at a regional scale and the propagation probability obtaining an interesting rock fall susceptibility map

Rockfall Source Areas Assessment in an Area of the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy)

In the mountainous areas, rockfalls are a common type of massmovements that represents a major cause of fatalities and damages to properties because of their high energy and mobility. For this reason, the assessment of rockfall hazard and risk constitutes an important issue for technicians, administrators and local planners and requires reliable methods, in order to assure a proper land management. This paper is an attempt to assess rockfall susceptibility; in particular, the attention has been focused on the potential rockfall source areas assessment in the territory of the twenty-four Lucanian municipalities belonging to the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy). A DEM-based approach has been used, according to the Slope Angle Distribution (SAD) procedure, allowing to identify the most important Morphological Units of the topography: Cliffs, Steep Slopes, Foot Slopes and Plains. A terrain unit (usually a grid cell) is considered as potential rockfall source when its slope angle lie over an angle threshold, which is defined where the Gaussian distribution of the morphological unit “Cliffs” become dominant over the one of “Steep slopes”. The software Histofit has been a very useful tool for the assessment of rockfall susceptibility. The results of the application of this approach have been compared with the rockfalls niches observed on the field in order to validate the method. Finally, the influence of the cell size of the DEM has been inspected by applying the methodology over two different DEM resolutions (5 m and 20 m)

Rockfall hazard assessment in an area of the “parco archeologico storico-naturale delle chiese rupestri” of matera (Basilicata Southern-Italy)

This work contains the results of the methodology used for the evaluation of the possible trajectories of the unstable blocks and their location along the slope that could destroy valuable rupestrian testimonies. The software used is the Rockfall, managed by RocScience (2002). It is an important tool allowing the rockfalls risk assessment. In the study area various simulations have been performed; they have led to the evaluation of the different parameters of the blocks movements: trajectories, maximum heights of bounce, propagation distances and energies of the blocks, to obtain a mapping of areas with different susceptibility to the transit and to the invasion of the blocks. In order to describe the blocks movement, the RocFall Software apply the parabolic equation of a corps motion in free fall and the principle of total energy conservation. This work leds to the result that the southern side of the site “Belvedere delle Chiese Rupestri” presents a big criticality to the collapse phenomena that reverberates on archaeological assets therein