Hydrogeological monitoring and image analysis of a mudslide in southern Italy

This paper describes a methodological example of a data-integration procedu re to improve the knowledge of landslide hazard related to a seismic area i n the southern Apennine (Italy). Attention is focused on remote sensing dat a. The analysis is validated using detailed topographical, geophysical, geo technical and hydrogeological data as ground truth. The investigated phenom enon, which started at the end of 1993, is an earthflow. The presented meth odology recommends the combined use of DEM, multi-temporal panchromatic vis ible aerial photographs and thermal infrared images. The integration betwee n these data and multidisciplinary monitoring data proved useful. The main hydrogeological pattern, the geological and geomorphological framework and the areas of latent instability can be clearly determined. Insight can be g ained through the synoptic slope view in the relative short time needed to carry out the analysis. The proposed approach can be regarded as a useful c ontribution to the evaluation of landslide hazard, particularly during emer gency periods. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.