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Writing / Irene Vega
The term “vulnerability” is often confused with a region's susceptibility to landslides. Currently there is no standard methodology to study this vulnerability and heuristic and subjective methods are usually used, rarely based on the understanding of the physical processes that control these landslides.
Furthermore, the frequency and severity of events around the world are increasing due to climate change and the human factor, and as a result, loss and damage to people and property is also increasing. Therefore, the need to identify and predict these landslides more accurately represents a challenge for the current scientific community.
The work developed by a scientific team from the URJC and the UAH proposes a solution to this challenge: a new methodology based on the Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing and fuzzy logic. “The methodology focuses on improving landslide vulnerability maps using an approach based on automated fuzzy logic, comparing it with traditional heuristic methods. Fuzzy logic is useful in control systems, decision making and expert systems, where inputs and outputs are not precise or binary, allowing more flexible and adaptive handling of complex or vaguely defined situations. This approach allows a more objective and detailed classification of areas at risk, considering ecological and socioeconomic variables,” explains Adrián García Bruzón, member of the technology research group for landscape analysis and diagnosis at the URJC and co-author of the published scientific article in the journal Geotechnical and Geological Engineering.
The results of this study show significant differences in the distribution of vulnerability categories between the two methods, with fuzzy logic providing a more balanced and realistic distribution. “This suggests that fuzzy logic can better capture the complexity and variability of the factors that influence landslide vulnerability, turning this method into a quantitative, automatic, scalable and repeatable system that allows generating multi-temporal and multi-spatial vulnerability mapping.” to landslides,” adds the URJC researcher.
This work has been carried out in the state of Guerrero (Mexico), but the proposed methodology has the potential to be applied in other regions and for other types of natural risks, contributing significantly to disaster management and planning the use of the floor. “By allowing a more precise identification of areas of high vulnerability to landslides, this approach facilitates the channeling of resources and mitigation efforts towards the communities most in need,” says Bruzón.
In this sense, the adoption of these technologies in urban and rural planning could transform the way in which vulnerable societies prepare for and respond to natural disasters, contributing to more sustainable and resilient development.