Research at Loughborough University has resulted in development of Community Slope SAFE, a novel sensor for detecting the onset of slope movements hence providing an early warning of landslides.

This community operated system has been designed to be very low cost compared to traditional monitoring approaches and simple to use. The aim is to provide protection and save lives in low and middle income countries. Currently, landslide prone areas in these countries are not monitored due to the high cost and globally many thousands of people are killed annually. This new technology could make a profound difference. The sensor listens to the 'noise' generated by the landslide as the ground starts to move and if this 'noise' exceeds a pre-determined threshold a warning is sent wirelessly to a base station housed in the community. This triggers a siren and strobe light to warn the community of the landslide so that they can activate an agreed response (e.g. evacuate the area). A primary cause of landslides in Asia is intensive rainfall events. Population growth and changes in land use are resulting in more communities living in areas susceptible to landslides. If an early warning of an imminent failure can be provided to the community this will allow evacuation resulting in reduced loss of life. Such systems are common in high income countries using established technologies. However, in low and middle income countries these systems are not used due to prohibitively high costs. Community Slope SAFE provides a first opportunity for vulnerable communities to benefit from robust landslide early warning. Advanced warning of a potential landslide can also allow action to stabilise the slope and to protect or divert critical infrastructure (e.g. roads and pipelines) thus enhancing resilience and quality of life.