Major Hazards Specialised Centers
European and Mediterranean
Major Hazards Agreement
Major Hazards Agreement
In the framework of the European Soil Thematic Strategy, a project to map landslide susceptibility at the scale of Europe (i.e.1:1 Million) was suggested in 2007 by the Soil Information Working Group (SIWG) of the European Soil Bureau Network (ESBN). The methodology consists of identifying the potential areas subject to generic landslide types by expert knowledge using available thematic and environmental data. The choice of the 1:1 M scale allows the use of harmonized data sets for all Member States as input to the susceptibility model.
The objectives of the project are:
1) To refine the preliminary assessment at the Pan-European scale by estimating three independent maps per landslide type (e.g. slides, falls and flows) and propose a methodology to combine the three independent maps in one unique compound landslide susceptibility map; the susceptibility modelling will be carried out by comparing a spatial multi-criteria approach (SMCE) and a fully data oriented statistical approach (logistic regression). This objective is being carried out as part of the Landslide Expert Group of JRC;
2) To propose nation-wide assessments of landslide susceptibility for three countries (Portugal, Georgia and Romania) by compiling national landslide inventories and using a statistical modelling approach (logistic regression) on a series of environmental factors on data with higher resolution than for the Pan European map. A method to integrate information on landslide triggers (rain, earthquake) in the analysis will be proposed and tested in Georgia, Portugal and Romania (possibly the use of meteorological information derived from remote-sensing imagery will be used);
3) To analyse (through a dedicated online questionnaire) the different methods of assessment (Landslide Risk Assessment Model; LRAM) and the categories of maps used in practice by the European Countries in their regulation for landslide susceptibility, hazard and risk mapping, and identify the pro & cons of each methodology.
More information about the project Pan-European and nation-wide landslide susceptibility assessment.
Development of the first version of the European Landslide Susceptibility map (ELSUS1000)
Quantitative analysis of the results of the survey on the performance of ELSUS v1 (possible location errors, possible local ranking errors in the susceptibility levels)
Analysis of the on-going surveys on Landslide Risk Assessment Methodologies (LRAMs) conducted in collaboration with ISPU
Construction of ELSUS v2 through 1) the integration of landslide typological differentiation in the susceptibility assessment at the European scale through the use of new information on observed landslide locations, and 2) the integration of more detailed lithological information available at the continental scale
Quantitative assessment of Hazard at the country scale for France, Romania and Georgia through the integration of soil moisture data from JRC, rainfall estimates from European Weather Forecast, and Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) information
Benchmarking of the method to test its genericity to African physiogeographic settings and data availability consitions, collection and organisation of relevant data for the national and regional assessments in Ethiopia and Marocco in collaboration with local partners
Integration of all information available for Ethiopia and Morocco, production of national susceptibility maps and comparisons with ancillary data
