How Lidar Change Detection Rocks the World of Geohazards

Geohazards like landslides and erosion aren’t just dramatic landscape artists—they’re serious threats to infrastructure and communities. These dynamic natural processes have been shaping our planet for eons, but thanks to climate change and human activity, they’re picking up the pace. Enter lidar change detection, the tech superhero that’s making geologists and engineers feel like they have extra intel when looking at the Earth’s surface. It’s a game-changer for keeping railways, highways, pipelines, mines, and other infrastructure safe from these geologic troublemakers.

Detecting Earthly Shifts: The Lidar Advantage

Think of lidar change detection as nature’s time-lapse photography, but way cooler. By comparing multiple lidar surveys over time, this technology highlights small changes in terrain—alterations invisible to the naked eye at a continental scale, like subtle slope movements or gradual erosion. That’s right, lidar doesn’t miss a single (tectonic) beat.

But it’s not just about spotting changes. Lidar change detection helps engineers and geoprofessionals quantify the volume of material in motion, define the area at risk, and assess the likelihood of geohazard events. It’s essentially the ultimate earth-mapping toolkit, streamlining decision-making while saving time and resources, and helping pinpoint locations for field investigations and instrumentation.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Harnessing Lidar

Here’s how lidar change detection helps you wrestle those geohazards into submission:

1. Inventory Potential Hazards: Start by identifying watercourse crossings, landslide zones, and other high-risk spots.
2. Assess & Prioritize: Rate the severity and urgency of each hazard. Is it a sleepy slope or a ticking time bomb?
3. Develop Risk Strategies: From slope stabilization to drainage improvements, lidar helps you create targeted mitigation plans.
4. Monitor & Adapt: Keep an eye on ongoing changes and fine-tune your mitigation efforts as needed.

By layering precise 3D terrain data onto maps, lidar visualizes the drama: blue for erosion loss (like a landslide’s headscarp) and red for deposits or buildup (hello, debris at the toe).

Prioritizing Sites: A Slice of (Earth’s) Life

Take a hillside monitored from 2016 to 2021. Lidar data over these years revealed:

• A new landslide from 2016–2019 marked the area as high-priority.
• By 2020, activity slowed, lowering the risk level to moderate.
• By 2021, the area stabilized, achieving geologic “zen.”

This cycle of detection, classification, and re-evaluation ensures resources are used efficiently—and dangerously active sites don’t slip under the radar.

Case Study: Pipelines and the Power of Lidar

Picture this: three pipelines threading through rugged North American terrain. In 2019, lidar data revealed a landslide encroaching on one of them. The blue of the headscarp and the red of the toe told the tale—this was a high-priority site.

Fast-forward to 2021. The high-quality data allowed mapping of movements as small as 2.5 cm/year and we could see landslide had slowed down. These insights are critical for engineers deciding where and how to act. Whether it’s identifying risk or documenting post-event changes, lidar gives you the data to stay ahead of the game (and the next landslide).

Why Lidar Change Detection Is A Big Deal

Lidar isn’t just about colorful maps or impressive 3D terrain models—it’s about protecting lives, infrastructure, and investments. It’s a fast, efficient way to analyze massive datasets, assess risks, and prioritize interventions.

With lidar change detection as part of your geohazard management plan, you can turn uncertainty into clarity and hazards into manageable challenges. And hey, who doesn’t want to feel like a geological wizard with laser-powered insights?

So, the next time you spot a precarious slope or a creeping landslide, remember: lidar has your back—and your assets—covered.

When it comes to geohazards, let’s make sure we’re always one layer of data ahead!

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For the nerds who want more science and demonstrated success:

1. Lato M, Burkell K. (2024) “Playing Hide and Seek with Landslides: Cheating to Win with Lidar Change Detection” GeoSTRATA, August 2024
2. Weidner, L., Ferrier, A., van Veen, M., Lato, M.J., (2023). Rapid 4D change detection processing using ICP alignment and GPU-based M3C2 algorithms. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cgj-2023-0073
3. Lato M. (2021) “Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: 3D remote sensing, 4D analysis and visualization in geotechnical engineering: state-of-the-art and outlook” Canadian Geotechnical Journal, DOI 10.1139/cgj-2020-0399
4. Lato, M. J., Anderson, S., & Porter, M. J. (2019). “Reducing Landslide Risk Using Airborne Lidar Scanning Data”. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 145(9), 06019004.

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