Study of the Ten-mile Landslide Using High-Frequency dGPS Monitoring Technology
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Abstract
Landslides near transportation corridors are a common hazard for users and infrastructure in Western Canada. Different corridors in the region have been impacted by progressive deformation due to landslides that have evolved over short or extended periods. Assessing the risk of a landslide requires an understanding of the kinematics and triggers. These are best evaluated with high-frequency displacement measurements at multiple locations across the sliding mass; to allow for the evaluation of the impact of meteorological events and the movement of different portions of the landslide. Installing a monitoring system that provides several measurements per hour of displacement data from multiple locations on a landslide can be expensive and thus not commonly used. The University of Alberta has been assessing several landslide-monitoring technologies as part of research collaborations with the railway industry and Transport Canada, and with Alberta Transportation and Klohn Crippen Berger. The Ten-mile landslide became the first site in North America for studying the application of a relatively new ‘low-cost’ dGPS monitoring system, called GeocubesTM, as part of Railway Ground Hazard Research Program. This system has the potential to provide high-frequency measurements (up to every 60 seconds); and, the sensors are recoverable and relatively inexpensive such that the installation of several monitoring points across the surface of a landslide should be economically feasible for most projects. The implementation of the Geocubes has proven very useful for assessing mechanisms associated with changing the rates of displacement of this site. This presentation looks at the implementation of the Geocubes at the Ten-mile landslide near Lillooet, British Columbia, and the benefits of high-frequency data to enhance slope stability analysis.
Jorge Rodriquez is a Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Michael Hendry and Dr. Renato Macciotta. His research work has involved the application of cost/effective monitoring technology on landslides, such as low-cost UAV, and single frequency dGPS at the Ten-mile landslide in BC and the C018 site in AB.
Jorge has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Bachelor from the School of Engineer of Antioquia in Colombia and an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Alberta. Jorge worked as a consultant Geotechnical Engineer in Colombia. His work experience involved slope stability analysis and reinforcement analysis, design of material deposits, rock mapping, and site investigation. Recently, he has started to work in Geotechnical consulting in Canada while working with Klohn Crippen Berger to analyze Geohazards impacting linear infrastructure.