Diodrone

Geotechnical Monitoring solution For High Risk slopes

July 23, 2024

monitoring of road corridor and associated high risk slopes to support on-going management and risk assessment.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

A road embankment failed due to heavy rainfall events. The asset managers engaged engineers to assess the geotechnical risk and landslide and develop a management plan. Diospatial was engaged to provide a geotechnical monitoring solution using geospatial data to support ongoing geotechnical assessments and monitoring of the road and adjacent slopes.

Project Scope
Drone Survey
Drone Survey
Survey
Survey
Real-Time Sensor Monitoring
Real-Time Sensor Monitoring
Inspection
Inspection
DIOSPATIAL SOLUTION

Diospatial developed a geospatial survey solution that utilized multiple reality capture technologies including drone survey, photogrammetry modelling, ground-based survey, tilt sensors and pipe crawler inspection vehicles. The combination of these reality capture technologies provided consulting engineers with a detailed understanding of the condition of the site and an ongoing geotechnical monitoring solution for real-time updates.

When real-time sensor alerts are received, consulting engineers can consult the corresponding weather data and geospatial survey to understand the significance and extent of any movement, improving the utilisation of resources.

GEOSPATIAL SURVEY

Drone LiDAR survey was used to capture the bare earth terrain beneath the vegetation to understand the topography and extent of the road embankment failure.

Photogrammetry modelling was used to provide 3D visualisation of the site conditions and identification of any further geotechnical hazards.

A survey network was established with survey nails and pegs installed at various locations along the road corridor to support periodic survey monitoring and manual taped measurements of point to point distances.

REAL-TIME TILT SENSORS

High precision tilt sensors were installed on nominated geotechnical hazards to provide continuous and real-time geotechnical monitoring of the site. Communicating with an on-site 4G Gateway, any movement at the tilt sensors is detected and communicated back to a web-based platform. Movements in any direction within a nominated amount trigger an alert to all project stakeholders.

WEATHER MONITORING

A weather station was installed on the top of the escarpment to provide real-time weather data to provide more accurate site condition information. Just like the tilt sensors, the weather station was connected with an onsite 4G Gateway to provide real-time data.

The weather station provides consulting engineers with accurate weather data that is specific to the site and time periods measured by the tilt sensors. This allows consulting engineers to provide a more robust assessment when any movement is detected.

CULVERT INSPECTIONS

Finally, inspection of culverts was completed using pipe crawlers to visually inspect the condition and structural integrity of culverts and understand the hydraulic performance of the culverts as an important part of geotechnical monitoring and management of the road infrastructure.

This complete spatial solution provided the asset managers and consulting engineers with a robust understanding of the current site conditions and a reliable geotechnical monitoring solution for the high risk site. The combination of all geospatial data allows consulting engineers to more accurately assess the significance and extent of any movement on the embankment, improving the utilisation and responsiveness of ground stabilisation resources.

Drone survey and ground survey for geotechnical monitoring
Diospatial completed a robust drone and ground-based survey to provide project stakeholders with a robust understanding of the current condition of the road and adjacent slopes. Tilt sensors were installed for ongoing monitoring, and inspection was completed of the condition of culvert and drainage networks to assess the integrity of their hydraulic functionality.
Tilt sensors installed at high risk sites for geotechnical monitoring
Tilt sensors were installed along the upper and lower slopes of the road to provide detection and ongoing monitoring of two specific areas. The sensors were installed on steel posts that were inserted in to the ground approximately 1m-1.2m deep. Any movement detected would be communicated to the online Wisen portal to provide real-time alerts to project stakeholders.
weather station and 4G gateway station installed to provide real-time monitoring data
The weather station and 4G Gateway system were installed at the top of the escarpment to provide a clear connection to the sensors and regularly upload recorded data to the web-portal. The weather station records rainfall, wind speed, temperature and more to provide real-time atmospheric data.
Tilt sensors placed along road corridor for geotechnical monitoring
The tilt sensors were located along the road way on the upper and lower slopes to monitor any movement on either side of the roadway. The Weather Station and 4G Gateway were installed at the top of the escarpment where a reliable connection could be established and accurate measurement of weather conditions could be measured, including rainfall, temperature, wind speed and more.
Digital terrain model for identification of geotechnical hazards
Drone LiDAR was used to penetrate vegetation and produce a ground mesh model to provide geotechnical engineers with visualisation of the terrain beneath.
Photogrammetry model for identification of geotechnical hazards
 The photogrammetry model provides rich visualisation for identifying potential geotechnical hazards, as well as extracting relevant site features, the location of sensors and other important site information for sharing among project stakeholders.
Culvert inspections to support geotechnical monitoring solution
Culvert inspections were completed using a pipe crawler to visually inspect the condition and structural integrity of culverts along the hillside. The hydraulic performance of these culverts is an important part of geotechnical management of the road infrastructure.

 

Tags
culvert inspection drone inspection Lidar monitoring photogrammetry survey