Before implementing any monitoring system, it should be noted that field investigation and laboratory testing are required
. A site study can offer basic information regarding landslide classification, soil profile and features, sliding surface location, etc. The field investigation program includes a (1) surface geological survey, (2) borehole survey, (3) test pit, (4) standard penetration test (SPT), (5) field density test, (6) field permeability test, (7) surface permeability test, (8) cone penetration test (CPT), (9) refraction seismic survey, and (10) multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW). Furthermore, laboratory tests for assessing soil attributes include (1) soil classification, (2) water content, (3) Atterberg limits, (4) grain-size distribution, and (5) soil water characteristic curves (SWCC)
. Because the previous research strategy is time consuming, subsurface studies employing the geoelectrical resistivity method may be a feasible option. Geoelectrical resistivity is calculated by passing an electric current through a current electrode into the ground and measuring the differential potential of a region.
Most of the preceding methods can offer a single measurement (displacement, soil moisture, etc.); however, the possibility of high false alarms limits its usage. Thus, such data should be correlated with other monitoring data, such as rainfall or soil moisture, to reduce such effects. As a result, multimonitoring systems are strongly advised. Multimonitoring systems can be produced by combining the individual systems shown above or by designing a single sensor node with many functionalities. Multifunctional sensor devices that make use of MEMS sensors and WSNs are now commercially available.
3. Conclusions
Surface-monitoring techniques can offer information regarding near-surface movement, moisture content, and other physical information. Such strategies offer the following benefits: (1) they can offer millimeter-level 3D coordinates, and (2) they can provide distributed monitoring data with high spatial resolution across large regions. These studies, however, have the disadvantages of (1) obtaining real-time data is difficult and expensive; (2) they have a coarse resolution; and (3) they are impacted by severe fog, snow/rain, atmospheric delay, dense vegetation, and shadow. As a result, these methodologies are appropriate for creating landslide susceptibility, risk, and vulnerability maps [4][5]. However, such maps cannot provide early warning indications or predict disasters.
These objectives can only be met by a knowledge of the inner mechanism and monitoring of subsurface conditions. Extensometers have a high temporal resolution (36 mm/s) and precision (0.011 ± 0.0083 mm). Nonetheless, this is a single-point surface-movement-monitoring system. These characteristics are appropriate for translational landslides. By detecting subsurface displacement, conventional inclinometers outperform extensometers. The limited spatial vertical resolution (0.5–1 m) restricts its use, particularly for thin shear bandwidth. Unlike traditional inclinometers, TDR can enable exact monitoring of the sliding surface’s position (spatial resolution of 0.05 m). When compared with the inclinometer guide enclosure, the coaxial cable costs approximately 55% less. However, measuring the displacement is difficult. The moderate rigidity of inclinometers restricts their use in monitoring minor movements. AE techniques are sensitive to minor deformation and are best suited for slow-moving landslides. Optical-fiber-based inclinometers have recently gained much interest. This technology combines all of the previously mentioned benefits, including high initial measurement (0.98 mm), measuring range (36 mm), low cost (0.45 USD/m), and high spatial resolution of 10 mm. FBG may be coupled with BOTDA to monitor both the strain and temperature across a large region. Because of the restricted monitoring range, this method is best suited for rock landslides. This method is limited in its application since it is based on wire connections.
Tilt sensors have the benefit of being able to determine the direction of a landslide with two-dimensional deformation with an accuracy of 0.0025° and a measurement range of −30° to +30°. The depth of the sensor rod must be carefully calculated: small and long rods are suited for circular slip surfaces, while long rods should penetrate the rock layer for shallow landslides, as short rods are not effective. Many biaxial tilt sensors may be combined to form a multimodule system (inclinometer) with a spatial resolution of 100 mm, an accuracy of 0.73 mm, and a cost of 70 EUR/m. Tilt sensors, on the other hand, are point sensors and cannot extract deformations in areas where there is no inclination (i.e., translational landslides). Inclinometers based on strain gauges can detect micro-displacement. Soil deformation sensors are excellent for quick landslides since they have a low stiffness when compared with other approaches. SDS can detect micro-displacement (1 mm) throughout a range of 0 to 25 mm. The Strain Gauge Deep Earth Probe (SG-DEP sensor) can give 360-degree directional measurements and is ideal for both shallow and deep landslides, as well as harsh conditions. Acceleration sensors can detect slope movement independently of external triggers. This approach is appropriate for translational quick landslides without tilting, where linear acceleration is the most influential characteristic.
In addition to subsurface monitoring, the best technique to assess the kinematic characteristics of landslides is to monitor the sliding force; however, its installation is complicated. Rainfall monitoring is critical since it is regarded as the primary triggering factor. Based on multiple triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) units, a self-powered wireless sensor with a high measurement range (0 to 288 mm/d) and resolution (5.5 mm) was recently created. The subsurface moisture state illuminates the antecedent effect of rainfall. The drying technique for determining soil moisture in a laboratory has great accuracy; nonetheless, it is a labor-intensive procedure necessitating massive investigation work for a wide area. It is challenging for AE techniques to link soil moisture with acoustic waves. FBG can detect up to 37% volumetric water content. UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors can detect soil moisture levels as high as 16%. The smart aggregate (SAs) approach can monitor soil moisture up to 30%. Geophysical methods, such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), can offer information about wide areas rather than single spots that provide plot-scale soil moisture variation. The spatial resolution of a region might range from meters to decimeters. This technology can detect soil moisture up to 2 m deep.
MEMS and IoT sensors that can be linked to WSNs can be used to overcome wiring and installation problems. MEMS can be used as an inclinometer, tiltmeter, volumetric water content sensors, etc., with the primary goal of low cost and simple installation and maintenance. These sensors are more suited for shallow landslides. The SitkaNet sensor may represent a realistic solution to construct a deep spatially distributed moisture content sensor for approximately 1000 USD per node. In the shear band, temperature sensitivity is critical for slope stability. Likewise, for shallow strata, the surface temperature can offer an early warning when moving landslides have greater temperatures than stable zones. Multifunction nodes offer a feasible alternative to single-function nodes in terms of cost and false alarm rate.
Regardless of the quantification of subsurface characteristics, warning signs can offer indicators to cope with emergency circumstances. Elastic waves and low-frequency infrasonic signals can provide warning indications when internal mechanisms (such as soil moisture, deformation, matric suction, and effective stresses) change. However, implementing such a strategy is rather difficult. Other warning systems, such as differential capacitors, triboelectric force and bend sensors (TTEFBS), and chemiluminescence-based approaches are currently under development.
Data may be obtained manually; however, critical events may be missed. Natural disasters can cause damage to wire- or cable-based systems. Wireless networks can address the aforementioned limitations by linking several sensors for broad monitoring areas. However, WSNs are limited by power consumption issues, communications issues, and data loss and size issues. For power consumption issues, building a sleep threshold, reducing the number of sensors, and using rechargeable techniques can overcome this dilemma. Regarding communication issues, the communication distance between sensor nodes can affect the precision and the response time for the transmitted data. Available techniques can provide an inter-distance between 90 and 300 m, while the magnetic induction communication transceiver can be buried up to 5.28 m into the ground. Missing data can be obtained using a variety of mathematical methods. Laboratory-scale testing provides an appropriate approach to understanding the mechanism of landslides in a safe and low-cost setting. Prior to the field installation of the monitoring system, a thorough site study is needed. The monitoring system is placed under four conditions: random, matrix, vulnerable, or hybrid. The vulnerable placement allows for reasonable monitoring where the monitoring points are placed in critical locations.