Project Proposal

Low-cost sensors, such as for example accelerometers and gyroscopes, have the potential to be used in a number of monitoring tools and environmental and geotechnical applications. Tunnels lining, bridges and buildings health, ground deformation and landslide displacement monitoring and early warning are only a few examples of possible applications. In particular, for earth surface deformations due to landslides or subsidence, they can contribute to make monitoring systems available on a large scale and reduce the related risk at low cost.

The project proposal intends to begin students to the creation of a prototype-module to realise a low-cost sensor device addressed to ground deformation and landslide displacement monitoring. This prototype-module will be obtained from the combination of low-cost hardware and software (e.g. Arduino open-source electronics platform). This initiative aims to create a low-cost environmental monitoring system, able to drastically reduce costs compared to current solutions (of at least one third). The project may include installation of the sensors on the monitoring area and comparison with measured through traditional in-situ instrumentation.

The student will be jointly supervised by Prof. Francesco M. Guadagno e Prof. Paola Revellino, with expertise in engineering geology and landslide displacement monitoring by in-situ devices (e.g. inclinometer, extensimeter, ground-based Sar Interferometry) and they will be hosted in the laboratory of Engineering Geology at DST Department.