Scientists want to use satellites to predict landslidesJuly 7, 2017 - 13:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Small satellites have countless uses, including when it comes to monitoring the planet for natural disasters. Now, scientists think they've made a breakthrough on this front: They're using satellite data to map the Earth's movement. Their end goal is to develop an early warning system for communities before landslides, Engadget said. Last week, a massive landslide occurred in Sichuan Province in China, affecting Xinmo village. Three days later, a second landslide struck the same area and a third landslide hit a village about 20 km (12.5 miles) away. Using images from ESA's Sentinel-1, the team was able to look at before and after pictures of the region, as they detailed in a presentation at the Dragon-4 symposium in Copenhagen. It's incredibly difficult to detect landslides using traditional methods. But by using satellite data, the team was able to map the landslide, identify its source and look at its extent. Professor Zehnghong Li of Newcastle University, who worked on the project, explains, "In fact, while we were monitoring the Maoxian landslides we managed to identify over 10 other active landslides in the same region and forwarded this information to the relevant agencies." The real value of this data? The team was able to identify that the land had been sliding approximately six months before last week's events. This suggests that an early warning system for landslides using current satellite technology would be achievable and effective, Engadget said. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |