SLAM

Ground Instabilities are among the most widespread geological hazards on Earth. Thousands of deaths and injuries, and enormous economic loss are regrettable evidences of worldwide slope instabilities. The necessity to identify and monitor slope movement is of paramount importance to reduce the socio-economic toll that every year is paid in developing as well as in developed countries.

Several projects funded by ESA within the framework of its Data User Program (DUP), have investigated the feasibility and the operational applicability of spaceborne imagery to respond to the needs of governmental institutions that have a mandate in landslide prevention. The SLAM project was built on the results of the feasibility studies and aimed at developping an end-to-end service chain for the provision of Slope Instability products.

Three types of products and services were developed and demonstrated:

1. Landslide Motion Survey:
   A motion reconnaissance service to identify, within a large Area Of Interest (i.e. 1,000 - 10,000 km2), the areas / points where deformation takes place. The service carries out a screening of the AOI in order to identify areas affected by slope motion.
    
2. Landslide Displacement monitoring:
   Landslide activity products to be delivered on a regular basis to precisely quantify the rate of motion of areas / points within a small Area Of Interest (i.e. 50 - 1,000 km2). The objective is to accurately measure the displacement fields of known landslides.
    
3. Landslide Suceptibility mapping:
   Products derived from EO data to be integrated and used as intermediate layers in support to landslide susceptibility mapping (at scales imposed by the resolution of the EO data and the needs of the end-users).