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The national landslide database of Great Britain: development, evolution and applications

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Abstract

Landslide inventories are essential because they provide the basis for predictive landslide hazard and susceptibility assessments and because they allow for the manipulation and storage of temporal and spatial data. The National Landslide Database has been developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS). It is the most extensive source of information on landslides in Great Britain with over 15,000 records of landslide events each documented as fully as possible. This information is invaluable for planners and developers as it helps them investigate, avoid or mitigate areas of unstable ground in accordance with Government planning policy guidelines. Therefore, it is vital that the continual verification, collection and updating of landslide information is carried out as part of the Survey’s ‘National Capability’ work. This paper describes the evolution from a static database to one that is continually updated forming part of a suite of national digital hazard products. The history of the National Landslide Database and associated Geographical Information System (GIS) is discussed, together with its application and future development.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is published with the permission of the Executive Director of the British Geological Survey (NERC). The authors owe a debt to Dave Brook and Brian Marker, both formerly of the Department of the Environment and its successors, who had the original idea to develop a National Landslide Database and to former staff at Geomorphological Services Ltd. who developed the first version. Alan Forster and Andrew Gibson (both formerly BGS) are also thanked.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG12 5GG, UK

    C. Foster, C. V. L. Pennington & M. G. Culshaw

  2. School of Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK

    M. G. Culshaw

  3. British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, UK

    K. Lawrie

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  1. C. Foster
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  2. C. V. L. Pennington
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Correspondence to C. Foster.

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Foster, C., Pennington, C.V.L., Culshaw, M.G. et al. The national landslide database of Great Britain: development, evolution and applications. Environ Earth Sci 66, 941–953 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1304-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1304-5

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