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Pixel based terrain analysis for Landslide Hazard

Zonation, a case study of Tehri reservoir region,
Uttarakhand, India
Conference Paper June 2013
DOI: 10.1109/IGARSS.2013.6723423

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PIXEL BASED TERRAIN ANALYSIS FOR LANDSLIDE HAZARD ZONATION,

A CASE STUDY OF TEHRI RESERVOIR REGION, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA
Rohan Kumar1, R.Anbalagan2
1

Research Scholar, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
2
Professor, Department of Earth sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India.
Corresponding Author: rohananadi@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT

A methodology for delineation of landslide hazard zones

using Terrain parameters, frequency ratio and arithmetic
overlay approach in

GIS environment, is presented.

Temporal remote sensing data including Digital Elevation

Model (DEM) had been used for preparation of landslide
causative factors. Terrain parameters such as: slope,
aspect, relative relief, topographic wetness index (TWI),
and stream power index (SPI), were derived and their
influence on landslide had been performed using landslide
frequency ratio. Other landslide causative factors: Land
use/Land cover, drainage, lithology, and photo-lineaments
were generated from remote sensing multispectral data by
applying different image processing techniques. Ancillary
data including field observations were incorporated in GIS
platform. Landside frequency ratio for each factors
attribute was calculated. Integration of conditioning
factors was done by using arithmetic overlay, which had
resulted a pixel based hazard index map, which was further
classified and validated.

978-1-4799-1114-1/13/$31.00 2013 IEEE

relative relief, curvature, catchment area, flow path, can be

derived from DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data [1].
Secondary attributes are computed from two or more
primary attributes, and are important because it gives idea
about the role of topography in distribution of water, solar
radiation [2], which further has great importance in
vegetation and mass movement process. The objective of
this study is to extract terrain attributes from DEM data and
incorporation of multispectral data in GIS environment to
produce Landslide Hazard Zonation map. Landslide
hazard/susceptibility mapping techniques has been applied
in Himalayan region by several authors such as causative
factor based hazard assessment, [3], Landslide hazard
zonation based on geological attributes [4], GIS based
landslide hazard zonation [5], integrated approach for
landslide hazard zonation

[6], GIS-based statistical

landslide susceptibility zonation [7]. Most of the previous

models are based on subjective attribution, while some
statistical

Index Terms Topographic Indices, Frequency ratio,

, Landslide Hazard, GIS
1. INTRODUCTION

Primary topographic attributes, such as slope, aspect,

models involves rigorous statistics which

sometimes deviate from the ground physical conditions. In

the

present

study,

terrain

parameters

were

given

prominence considering the highly rugged physical

2868

IGARSS 2013

condition of Tehri reservoir region. The region comes

LISS-III). Image processing techniques namely, vegetation

under rugged terrain of Lesser Himalaya..

index, supervised classification, edge detection were used to

obtain landslide inventory, LULC, Photo-lineament maps

2. STUDY AREA AND DATA USED

respectively. Ancillary data such as local geology, soil, past

Tehri reservoir (65 km long) has developed due to

landslide incidents were acquired in different scales. All the

construction of 260 meter high dam across the confluence

factors were made to a raster grid (27m27m) format,

of Bhagirathi and Bhilangana river on the highly rugged

which contained 1391 column and 1091 rows. Landside

Himalayan terrain. Frequent landslide phenomena has been

frequency ratio for each factors attribute was calculated.

observed along the slopes facing reservoir, in rainy season,

Integration of all the factors was done by using arithmetic

which cause huge loss of life and property. ASTER optical

overlay in GIS platform, which had resulted a pixel based

and DEM dataset provided by NASA under student

hazard index map, which was further classified in five

affiliation is used for the study. ASTER DEM data having

hazard zones: Very low, low, moderate, high, and very high

15 meter spatial resolution, is used for extraction of

zones, on the basis of standard deviation in pixel breaks.

primary and secondary terrain attributes. VNIR and SWIR

Validation was performed on the basis of Receiver

data of ASTER has been widely used in glaciological study.

Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves

The high resolution (.5m) Worldview-2 data provided

under 8-band challenge is also used in this study for

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

landslide inventory mapping and land use land cover

classification. Ancillary data such as topographic map,

Analysis of terrain attributes had suggested several defining

regional geological map, soil map, is also used in present

parameter for landslides. Primary topographic attributes

study.

was found to be the major cause for the landslide in the

3. METHODOLOGY

area. Landslide frequency ratio in the high slope category

Pre and post monsoon remote sensing data including

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) had been used to prepare
primary and secondary topographic indices, landslide
causative

factors

and

landslide

inventory

maps.

Topographic indices such as: slope, aspect, relative relief,

profile curvature, topographic wetness index, and stream
power index, were derived from DEM. Detailed terrain
analysis and its influence on landslide had been performed
on the basis of topographic indices and landslide frequency
ratio. Landslide frequency ratio is calculated by dividing
landslide occurrence ratio by the area ratio. Other landslide
causative factors: Land use/Land cover, drainage, lithology,
major discontinuities and photo-lineaments were prepared
from remote sensing multispectral data (ASTER & IRS

(35-45) and very high slope category (>45) was very

high. High and very high relative relief categories
contained high frequency values. Topographic aspect was
also found to be an important landslide conditioning factor
in the present area. Southern aspect, which is receiving
very high rainfall during monsoon are more prone to
landslides. Very high frequency ratio; 0.9, 2.6 and 1.34 was
found for southwest, south and southeast respectively.
Secondary topographic attributes was also found to be an
important causative factor. TWI value of area had a range
of 0 -19, whereas SPI of area had a range of 0 to 15 ( on
log scale). High frequency ratio was found in the case of
higher ranges: 4-8, 8-12, 12-19 for TWI. In case of SPI,
high frequency value was found in the range of : 3-6, and

2869

6-9. Table-1 shows the landslide frequency ratio for the

Northeest

12.66721

6.034483

0.476386

topographic attributes. Frequency ratio for other factors

Flat

2.876363

were analyzed. In case of drainage and lineaments, buffer

TWI

maps of , 0-50m, 50m-100m, 100m-150m, 150m-200m and

0-4

61.90798

39

33.62069

0.543075

>200m range was prepared. Frequency ratio for the range:

4-8

35.03522

55

47.41379

1.353318

0-50m, 50m-100m and 100m to 150m were high in case of

8-12

2.612678

20

17.24138

6.599121

drainage buffer and lineament buffer classes. Main

12-19

0.444121

1.724138

3.882139

lithological feature of the area is quartzite and phyllite of

SPI

different

During field

0-3

67.14375

47

40.51724

0.60344

observations these rocks were observed minutely. Quartzite

3-6

28.04379

59

50.86207

1.813666

are highly weathered at some places. Reservoir rim area is

6-9

4.434267

10

8.62069

1.944107

mainly formed of phyllites and quartzitic phyllites. High

9-12

0.215121

frequency value was found in the case of above mentioned

12-15

0.163076

rocks. Land use/ land cover map (LULC) (Fig-1) was

Relative relief

prepared on the basis of supervised classification of ASTER

Very low

4.747874

multispectral data, and classified into five classes: dense

Low

28.42697

2.586207

0.090977

vegetation,

Moderate

49.81752

51

43.96552

0.882531

settlement/barren land and water body. High landslide

High

15.25648

56

48.27586

3.164286

frequency value of 2.19, 1.74 and .98 was observed in hill

Very high

1.751155

5.172414

2.953716

0-15

13.81839

alluvial/sandy soil, whereas black soil was containing less

15-25

27.44258

1.724138

0.062827

number of landslides.

25-35

40.38371

30

25.86207

0.640408

35-45

17.68734

82

70.68966

3.996625

>45

0.667984

1.724138

2.581107

Lesser

hill

Himalaya

slope

formations.

vegetation,

scrub

vegetation,

slope vegetation, scrub vegetation, and settlement/barren

land classes. High frequency value of 3.15 was seen in

TABLE-1. LANDSLIDE FREQUENCY RATIO FOR

THE TOPOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES.
Factors &

Percent

No. of

Percent

attributes

domain

landslide

(Ls)

Slope
category

F.R

(Ls)
Aspect
North

14.78389

14

12.06897

0.816359

Northwest

11.47066

3.448276

0.300617

West

9.593675

6.034483

0.629006

Southwest

12.702

14

12.06897

0.950162

South

12.87404

40

34.48276

2.678472

Southeast

12.77159

20

17.24138

1.349979

East

10.26057

10

8.62069

0.840176

Fig.1. LULC map of the area

11. REFERENCES

2870

Integration of the all the ten causative factors was

ROC curve resulted with area under curve value of 0.83. It

performed by applying arithmetic overlay in ESRI GIS

can be quantitatively said that 83% accuracy was achieved

package. Normalized frequency ratio value (range: 0-1)

from the model.

were considered for the ratings of attributes, whereas

overall frequency ratio (sum of frequency ratio of a factors

4. CONCLUDING REMARKS

attributes) of a factor was considered for weighted

determination. Over all frequency ratio of relative relief,

Present study emphasized the importance of terrain

TWI, SPI, slope, drainage buffer was found high.

parameter in landslide vulnerability study. Model approach

Integration resulted into a hazard index map in which each

has achieved 83% accuracy. It has also paved a way to

pixel contained information of susceptibility to landslides.

reduce subjectivity in the model.

Index value was obtained in a range of .3123 to 1, where

probability of hazard increases as the value increases.

REFERENCES

Further index map was divided into five hazard zone

[1] I.D. Moore, Terrain analysis programs for the

environmental sciences (TAPES), Agriculture System
Information Technology, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 3739, 1992

classes: very low (9.5 sq.km), low (118.3 sq.km), moderate

(279.6 sq.km),

high (113.9 sq.km), and very high (51

sq.km) on the basis of standard deviation (Fig. 2).

[2] J.P. Wilson and J.C. Gallant (Eds.), Terrain Analysis:

Principles and Applications, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., New
York, USA, pp. 127, 2000
[3] R. Anbalagan, Landslide hazard evaluation and
zonation mapping in mountainous terrain, Engineering
Geology., Vol. no. 32 pp. 269277, 1992
[4] A.K, Pachauri and M, Pant, Landslide hazard
mapping based on geological attributes. Engineering
Geology, Vol.32, no. 12, pp. 81100, February 1992.
[5] R.P. Gupta, and A.K. Saha, GIS-based Landslide
Hazard Zonation in the Bhagirathi (Ganga) Valley,
Himalayas International Journal of Remote Sensing vol.
23, no. 2, pp. 357369, 2002,

Fig. 2. Landslide hazard zonation map

Further validation of the model was performed on the basis
of ROC curves. The ROC curve technique is based on
plotting model sensitivity against model specicity.
Model sensitivity, a true positive fraction, is the ratio
between correctly classified presence data and all presence
data, while model specificity, a true negative fraction, is the
ratio between correctly classified grid cells without
landslides and all grid cells without landslide [8]. A smooth

[6] S. Sarkar and D. P. Kanungo, An integratedapproach

for landslide susceptibility mapping usingremote sensing
and GIS, Photogrammetric Engineeringand Remote
Sensing, Vol. no. 70 (5). pp. 617-625, 2004
[7] A. K. Saha, R. P. Gupta, I. Sarkar, M. K. Arora and E.
Csaplovics, An approach for GIS-basedstatistical landslide
susceptibility zonation with a case study in the Himalayas,
Landslides, Vol. no. 2. pp. 61-69, 2005
[8] B . Pradhan, S. Lee and M. Buchroithner, Remote
sensing and GIS-based landslide susceptibility analysis and
its cross-validation in three test areas using a frequency
ratio model, Photogrammetrie
Fernerkundung
GeoInformation., Vol. no. 1. pp. 1732, 2010a

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