Assessment of the 2006 to 2015 Corvara landslide evolution using a UAV-derived DSM and orthophoto

We present a UAV-based photogrammetry study on Corvara landslide, a large and active earthflow in the Italian Dolomites. During a one-day field survey, an area of approximately 13 ha was cov- ered and a very high resolution orthophoto and a point cloud consisting of more than 200 million points were created. From this data, a Digital Surface Model (DSM) with a pixel size of 1.5 cm was prepared. The comparison to the existing 2006 LiDAR DSM highlights landslide enlargements, displacement rates and material depletion and accumulation exceeding 11 m. Although some uncertainties regarding the exact magnitude of topographical changes remain, the methodology has been evaluated as a useful addi- tion to the ongoing monitoring activities on the Corvara landslide by GPS and DInSAR due to the unprecedented level of detail.