Background

In Italy landslides and floods are frequent, widespread and dangerous phenomena, that cause fatalities and serious economic damage. In our country, landslides and floods pose major problems of scientific interest and of social and economic relevance.

The Institute is a Competence Centre for the Italian national Civil Protection Department,  an Office of the Prime Minister. For the Department of Civil Protection we execute research and development activities, and we provide technical and scientific support in case of emergencies and major natural disasters.

The project encompasses the activities carried out by the Institute in its role of Competence Centre for the Italian national Civil Protection Department with regard to the geo-hydrological hazards and risk, and particularly the risk posed by landslides.

Purpose

The scope of the project is to provide technical and scientific support to the Civil Protection Department, and to advise the Department during or as a result of particularly relevant geo-hydrological events, or events that have caused a significant impact on the population or on public or private property.

The aim of the project is also to develop, maintain, and operate SANF: the national landslide warning system for possible occurrence of slope failures induced by rainfall.

In detail, the main activities conducted within the CC-DPC project include:

• The development, operational management and validation of the national landslide warning system for possible occurrence of slope failures induced by rainfall (SANF).
• The update and maintenance of catalogues of historical landslide and flood events, for civil protection purposes.
• The definition of the risk posed to the Italian population by geo-hydrological events (i.e., landslides and floods).

The project contributes to the production of the Periodic Report on Risk posed to the Italian Population by Landslides and Floods, which is distributed through the Polaris web site.

Finally, the project supports activities aimed at monitoring of large landslides, or landslides of particular interest for civil protection, conducted by the Geo-Hazards Monitoring Group.

Methods

To exectute the activities in the CC-DPC project, researchers and technicians use – and where appropriate develop – a variety of tools, methods and investigative techniques, including:

• Technical analysis of remote sensing images taken by satellites, optical and SAR
• Mapping of landslides from aerial, satellite or terrestrial images
• Methods for the production of landslide inventory maps
• Modeling for the evaluation of landslide susceptibility, hazard and risk
• Collection, organization and analysis of historical information on geo – hydrological events
• Methods and techniques for the definition of the rainfall conditions for the possible triggering of landslides
• Tools and techniques for the dissemination of information on geo-hydrological risk in Italy

Results

The results expected from the activities currently in progress include:

• The operational management of the national landslide warning system for possible occurrence of slope failures induced by rainfall (SANF)
• The validation of the national landslide warning system for possible occurrence of slope failures induced by rainfall (SANF)
• Updated catalogues of historical flood and landslide events, for civil protection purposes
• A better definition of the risk posed to the Italian population by geo-hydrological hazards (floods and landslides)

In addition we expect to support the Civil Protection Department during or as a result of particularly important geo-hydrological events, or events that have a significant impact on the population or on public or private property.

Products

Among the products expected from the activities currently in progress there are:

• A regional “version” of the landslide warning system for possible occurrence of slope failures induced by rainfall (SARF)
• Procedures for the validation of the forecasts made by the national / regional warning system for the possible occurrence of rainfall induced landslides
• Updated catalogues of historic landslide and flood events in Italy
• Models and maps of landslide and flood risk to the Italian population
• New versions of the Periodic Report on Risk posed to the Italian population by Landslides and Floods, distributed through the POLARIS web site.
• Event and / or inspection reports.

Conclusions

For over 30 years, and since 2004 as a Competence Centre, the research group that operates the CC-DPC project works alongside the Department of Civil Protection, an office of the Prime Minister, to provide technical and scientific advice and support during and after catastrophic events.

In these years we have learned from the events that we have studied, and we think we have made ​​a useful contribution to the Department of Civil Protection. We intend to continue our activities in the coming years, as part of the CC-DPC project.