Project Grant G24AP00426

PROJECT TITLE: DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE LANDSLIDE INVENTORY FOR SOUTHEAST INDIANA USING LIGHT DETECTION ANDRANGING (LIDAR) DATAPROJECT PERIOD: 09 01 2024 - 08 31 2025LANDSLIDES ARE A GEOLOGICAL HAZARD IN INDIANA, BUT THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR OCCURRENCE AND IMPACTS, WHICH HINDERS EFFECTIVE RISK MANAGEMENT. TO ADDRESS THIS, THE INDIANA GEOLOGICAL AND WATER SURVEY (IGWS) WILL CREATE A DETAILED LANDSLIDE INVENTORY FOR SOUTHEAST INDIANA USING STATEWIDE THREE-DIMENSIONAL LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING (LIDAR) DATA. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT WILL USE QUALITY LEVEL 2 (QL2) LIDAR DATA TO MAP LANDSLIDE HAZARDS IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA. THE USGSS LOUISVILLE, MADISON, GREENSBURG, CINCINNATI, AND FALMOUTH 100,000 SCALE QUADRANGLES WILL BE DIVIDED INTO A GRID AND VIEWED AT A 1:4,000 SCALE FOR ANALYSIS AND DETAILED MAPPING, ENHANCING THE STATEWIDE LANDSLIDE INVENTORY WITH LIMITED FIELD VERIFICATION.THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF LANDSLIDE RISKS IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA BY DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE DATABASE THAT INCLUDES DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT LANDSLIDE LOCATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS. THIS DATABASE WILL AID IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND ENHANCE INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE BY PROVIDING ESSENTIAL DATA FOR BETTER DECISION-MAKING AND RISK MANAGEMENT.THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE USING HIGH-QUALITY LIDAR DATA TO MAP LANDSLIDE-PRONE AREAS ACCURATELY AND CONDUCTING FIELD INVESTIGATIONS TO VALIDATE LANDSLIDE LOCATIONS ON PUBLIC LANDS. THE IGWS TEAM WILL IDENTIFY AND DOCUMENT INDICATORS OF LANDSLIDE ACTIVITY, INCLUDING FEATURES LIKE SCARPS AND HUMMOCKY TERRAINS, AND EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF LANDSLIDES ON STATE INFRASTRUCTURE. PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION AND FIELD NOTES WILL BE COLLECTED AND INTEGRATED INTO THE DATABASE TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF LANDSLIDE DYNAMICS.THE DELIVERABLES FOR THIS PROJECT INCLUDE A DIGITAL COMPILATION OF LANDSLIDE PHOTOS AND FIELD NOTES, INTEGRATION OF LANDSLIDE DATA INTO THE IGWS INVENTORY, PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE LANDSLIDE INVENTORY, AND DETAILED LANDSLIDE MAPS FOR STATE PARKS. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES ARE IMPROVED ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE LANDSLIDE DATA FOR STAKEHOLDERS, ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING OF LANDSLIDE OCCURRENCES AND CHARACTERISTICS, BETTER EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, AND INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT REGARDING LANDSLIDE HAZARDS.THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES OF THIS PROJECT ARE DIVERSE. STATE AGENCIES WILL BENEFIT FROM IMPROVED DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE, AS WELL AS PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE AND CONSTRUCTION PLANNING. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WILL BENEFIT FROM IMPROVED MAINTENANCE AND SAFETY OF COUNTY ROADS AND MORE INFORMED INFRASTRUCTURE DECISIONS. ENVIRONMENTAL AND PARK MANAGEMENT WILL BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO PROTECT PARK INFRASTRUCTURE, PRESERVE NATURAL LANDSCAPES, AND ENSURE VISITOR SAFETY. THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL HAVE INCREASED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LANDSLIDE RISKS, LEADING TO IMPROVED SAFETY. FEDERAL AGENCIES WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER ASSESS LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY ON A NATIONAL SCALE AND IMPROVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, BUT THE PROJECT MAY INVOLVE COLLABORATIONS WITH STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES TO ENSURE COMPREHENSIVE DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND DISSEMINATION. THROUGH ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVANCED MAPPING TECHNIQUES, THE PROJECT AIMS TO SUPPORT INDIANAS CAPABILITY TO MONITOR, MANAGE, AND MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF LANDSLIDES EFFECTIVELY. THIS INITIATIVE ALIGNS WITH BROADER RISK REDUCTION PRIORITIES, AIMING TO IMPROVE PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL LANDSLIDE DATA FOR INFORMED DECISION-MAKING, ULTIMATELY ENHANCING THE SAFETY AND RESILIENCE OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST INDIANA.