Abstract

Investigating the Risk of Landslide on the Hillsite Residential Area Using GPS Tracking Data

W.A. Wan Aziz
Department of Geomatic,
Faculty of Engineering & Geoinformation Science, University Technology Malaysia
waziz@fksg.utm.my

Z. Othman
Department of Geomatic
Faculty of Engineering & Geoinformation Science
University Technology Malaysia

S. Halim
Department of Geomatic
Faculty of Engineering & Geoinformation Science
University Technology Malaysia

Abstract : Landslide is a general term used to describe the down-slope movement of soils, rocks and organic materials under the influence of gravity force. This natural phenomena can be triggered by gradual processes such as weathering or external mechanisms, for examples, undercutting of slope erosion, intense rainfall or sharp fluctuations in ground levels, loading on upper slope, etc. Landslide may cause property damage, injury and death, and adversely affects a variety of resources in Malaysia, for example, the collapses of Block I of Highland Towers (Nov. 1993), bungalows in Hillview Garden (Oct. 2002), squatter houses in Sabah (April2001) and houses at Section 5, Wangsa Maju (June 2001). As one of the latest surveying technology, it has been proven that the GPS satellite tracking data have substantial advantages compared with geotechnical and terrestrial survey method for landslide monitoring schemes. Measurement of landslide displacements can be undertaken by single-frequency GPS or dual-frequency GPS receivers. The choice depends on the same practical considerations. This paper highlights the GPS techniques to monitor the landslides deformation using single frequency GPS receivers. The study area is allocated at the hillsite residential area at Section 5, Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur. Control network and monument design are two of the essential primary aspects of a landslide monitoring scheme. The static GPS observations were carried out for two epochs within the monsoon seasons (November 2004-February 2005). The GPS observation data have been processed and analyses by using the Javad Pinnacle version 1.0 and STARNET-Pro, respectively. While, GPSAD2000 software has been used to perform the analysis of this landslide study. The results have shown that within the monsoon season, there was no significance ground movement along the study area.