This is an article from the Summer 2015 VPS. For more VPS articles, click here
Annual seven-day maximum precipitation sums in Eastern Nepal. Image Credit: Himalaya Disasters II Team
Category:åÊInvestigating Impacts of Fire and Landslide Disasters
Project Team: Himalaya Disasters II
Team Location: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center – Greenbelt, Maryland, and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) – Kathmandu, Nepal
Authors:
Justin Roberts-Pierel
Aakash Ahamed
Jessica Fayne
Binu Maharjan
Kanti Shree Sen Ojha
Ang Dawa Sherpa
Amanda Schochet
Mentors/Advisors:
Dr. Dalia B. Kirschbaum (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Dr. John D. Bolten (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Thomas A. Stanley (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Sebastian Wesselman (ICIMOD)
Abstract:
Nepal and the Himalayan region are hotspots for landslide activity due to mountainous topography, complex terrain, and monsoon rains. This study combined NASA Earth observation data from Landsat 8, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) with various ancillary datasets to create two products for use in the region: the Sudden Landslide Identification Product (SLIP), and Detecting Real-time Increased Precipitation (DRIP). SLIP will help identify landslides in near real-time using Landsat 8 and elevation products, as well as provide damage assessments by mapping landslides automatically after a disaster such as the Gorkha earthquake in May 2015. DRIP will monitor precipitation levels extracted from the GPM-IMERG 30-minute product to create alerts when current rainfall levels exceed calculated threshold values. SLIP and DRIP also were integrated to provide a more comprehensive landslide notification system for the region. The DRIP-SLIP model combination will be used by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to: protect and manage ecosystems and villages in Nepal, prevent future loss of life and infrastructure due to landslides, and reduce poverty through integrated natural resource management and regional cooperation.