Lidar technology reveals Washington landslide risks
In the wake of the devastating Oso landslide in 2014, Washington state geologists embarked on a survey of more landslide risks. Oso suffered the deadliest landslide in U.S. history with the loss of 43 lives.
Geologists are using laser light technology to get a better idea of the risks.
“We are very close to having complete lidar coverage for landslide prone areas throughout the state,” said Casey Hanell, who serves as the state geologist for the Washington State Geological Survey, a division of the Department of Natural Resources.
Lidar is a technology that gathers pinpoint data of the surface of the Earth. Flown from specially equipped airplanes, millions of laser pulses can record data from the surface as they are reflected back to sensors on the bottom of a plane. Once processed, trees and other obstructions can be eliminated, exposing the topography and revealing hazards such as older landslides. And where there has been evidence of previous landslides, there could be another.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/weather/lidar-technology-reveals-washington-landslide-risks/ar-BBZUcy3?ocid=hplocalnews
