A Geosensor Network Based Monitoring and Early Warning System for Landslides

In course of the alpEWAS (= alpine Early Warning System) research project a cost-effective landslide monitoring and early warning system has been developed during the last 3 years (2007–2010). The core of the project has been the development and testing of the three innovative, economically and continuously working measurement systems time domain reflectometry (TDR) for the detection of subsurface displacements in boreholes and reflectorless video tacheometry (VTPS) and a low cost GNSS sensor component for the determination of 3D surface movements. These measurements systems are combined together with other systems, monitoring trigger factors such as precipitation, in a geo sensor network which can be accessed remotely by a web interface, thus enabling to access all data in near real time. The Aggenalm Landslide (Bavarian Alps in the vicinity of Bayrischzell) was chosen as a field laboratory for the alpEWAS project. For 2 years now, the system has been working continuously except for minor disruptions, acquiring and recording all data.