AMRITA Wireless Sensor Network System for Landslide Detection

INDIA’s FIRST EVER WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK FOR LANDSLIDE DETECTION

       The devastation and loss of life caused by landslides affects hundreds of people every year around the world. AMRITA University of India has deployed India’s first landslide detection system using wireless sensor network at Munnar, Idukki, Kerala, India.

        Amrita University’s rainfall induced landslide detection system uses heterogeneous network that includes wireless sensor networks in combination with Wi-Fi and satellite technology. The test bed deployment site chosen for this study (see the map in Figure 1) is highly prone to landslides due to systemic monsoon induced rainfalls in the region.

Figure 1: Map of landslide prone deployment site

The actual deployment site (shown in Figure 2) is in the Idukki district of the southern state of Kerala, India. The existing infrastructure at Munnar provides the infrastructure needed for retrieving geological and hydrological data from the field and the data is transmitted long distant for further analysis. The data received from the geophysical sensors are transmitted through the wireless sensor network which uses a two layer hierarchical topology.



Figure 2: Actual Deployment Site, Anthoniar Colony, Munnar, Idukki, Kerala, India


Multiple sets of geophysical sensors are located in a distributed manner inside a column, called as sensor column (as shown in Figure 3). The sensor columns are approximately 20-25 meters long (as shown in Figure 4 & 5), are buried deep inside the earth and the data from them are retrieved using lower layer wireless sensor nodes (Crossbows MicaZ motes or WINSOC nodes) attached to the sensor columns.


Figure 3: Sensor column

Figure 4: A 5m sensor column (before deployment)


Fig 5: 21 meter sensor column (during deployment)

The lower layer wireless sensor nodes are wirelessly connected to a hierarchy of upper level wireless nodes that forward the data on to a Gateway. The data is then sent via a directional Wi-Fi link to a Field Data Management Center (FMC). The data is then forwarded over a satellite link to Data Management Center (DMC) which has sophisticated landslide data processing and modeling capability, located at Amrita University, Amritapuri campus situated approximately 252 kilometers away from the deployment field.



Fig 6: Wireless Sensor Network Architecture for Landslide Detection


The pilot deployment of the landslide detection system is in place from March 2008. The expanded deployment is in place from June 2009. This new deployment has 15 wireless sensor nodes and a total of 50 geophysical sensors. The real-time data from the deployment field is streamed to www.winsoc.org



Fig 7: View of a wireless sensor column



Fig 8: Partners at the deployment field, climbing the mountain to view and understand the wireless sensor network for landslide detection deployed by AMRITA, during WINSOC PCCM7 Internal Review Meeting


AMRITA wireless sensor network system for landslide detection has been developed as part of the research project WINSOC ( Wireless Sensor Networks with Self-Organization Capabilities for Critical and Emergency Applications) which is co-funded by INFSO DG of European Commission. Further details about the project can be seen in www.winsoc.org.