Articles | Volume 9, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-295-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-295-2021
Research article
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15 Apr 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 15 Apr 2021

Development of smart boulders to monitor mass movements via the Internet of Things: a pilot study in Nepal

Benedetta Dini, Georgina L. Bennett, Aldina M. A. Franco, Michael R. Z. Whitworth, Kristen L. Cook, Andreas Senn, and John M. Reynolds

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Cited articles

Acharya, T. D., Mainali, S. C., Yang, I. T., and Lee, D. H.: Analysis of jure landslide dam, Sindhupalchowk using GIS and Remote Sensing, Int. Arch. Photogramm., 41, 201–203, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XLI-B6-201-2016, 2016. 
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Bennett, G. L., Miller, S. R., Roering, J. J., and Schmidt, D. A.: Landslides, threshold slopes, and the survival of relict terrain in the wake of the Mendocino Triple Junction, Geology, 44, 363–366, https://doi.org/10.1130/G37530.1, 2016a. 
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Short summary
We use long-range smart sensors connected to a network based on the Internet of Things to explore the possibility of detecting hazardous boulder movements in real time. Prior to the 2019 monsoon season we inserted the devices in 23 boulders spread over debris flow channels and a landslide in northeastern Nepal. The data obtained in this pilot study show the potential of this technology to be used in remote hazard-prone areas in future early warning systems.
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