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Reducing landslide risk in urban areas in developing countries: Management of Slope Stability in Communities (MoSSaiC)

Summary of the impact

Management of Slope Stability in Communities (MoSSaiC) is a scientifically-based methodology developed at the University of Bristol to mitigate urban landslide risk in developing countries that has been adopted by the World Bank as part of its portfolio of disaster risk management tools. MoSSaiC centres on the efficient management of surface water and is distinct from other interventions in that it is delivered through a community-focussed programme that is rolled out in strategic incremental steps. MoSSaiC was first developed in 2004 and piloted in vulnerable urban communities in St Lucia. Since 2008 it has been implemented in additional communities in St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica (totalling ~800 homes in 12 communities).

A direct benefit of MoSSaiC is improved slope stability, evidenced by the absence of landslides in these communities despite the exceptional rainfall of Hurricane Tomas in 2010. Indirect benefits include rainwater harvesting and reduced water bills (one community saving an estimated EC$63,000), and savings to Government of community relocation costs. As a result MoSSaiC has led to governments and international development agencies taking a radically different and more effective approach to tackling landslide hazards in vulnerable urban communities.

Submitting Institution

University of Bristol

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
Economics: Applied Economics

4. Mitigation of geotechnical risk through the development of advanced numerical tools – ICFEP

Summary of the impact

The development of the bespoke finite element software ICFEP (Imperial College Finite Element Program) is the main research outcome of the numerical group in the Geotechnics Section at Imperial College (IC). The research conducted in the Section since 1993 has led to a substantial growth of ICFEP's modelling capabilities in both complexity and robustness, following closely the advancements in understanding of real soil behaviour achieved through laboratory and field investigations of soils. Between 2008 and 2013 the application of these modelling capabilities to practical engineering problems, which are generally unavailable with a similar degree of sophistication in commercial software, amounts to over 80 projects of which a third are worth multi-billion pounds in global value. The impact of ICFEP's application has been to reduce the geotechnical risk and the cost of design and construction, and to give confidence in the environmental stability of design solutions, by providing accurate predictions of soil response associated with individual projects.

Submitting Institution

Imperial College London

Unit of Assessment

Civil and Construction Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Engineering: Civil Engineering, Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy

A low-cost practical sensor for early warning of impending landslides in global environments

Summary of the impact

Slope ALARMS is a novel low-cost sensor that detects acoustic emission and warns of the early signs of impending landslides. It has been developed and patented by Dixon at Loughborough University. British, Italian, Canadian and Austrian organizations with responsibility for vulnerable infrastructure have employed Slope ALARMS sensors since 2008 in locations with high landslide risk. Measurements have provided information on displacement rates and this is making a significant contribution to assessment of slope hazards. The invention has won awards and generated interest globally, raising public and professional awareness of landslide problems and the use of Slope ALARMS.

Submitting Institution

Loughborough University

Unit of Assessment

Civil and Construction Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Applied Mathematics
Engineering: Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Environmental Engineering

MoSSaiC - reducing the risk of landslides in developing countries through the management of slope stability in communities

Summary of the impact

An engineering methodology, Management of Slope Stability in Communities (MoSSaiC), has been developed to mitigate urban landslide risk in developing countries, and has been implemented in the Eastern Caribbean. The World Bank is now including the methodology in disaster risk mitigation projects more widely in the Latin America and Caribbean regions, starting with Jamaica (September 2011-). MoSSaiC centres on the efficient management of surface water (construction of hillside drainage networks) and is delivered through a community-focussed programme with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.7:1. The impact includes:

  • Hillsides of unauthorised housing, previously exhibiting landslides during rainfall events that occur once every two years, have now been successfully stabilised and, in 2010, withstood a 1 in 500 year event.
  • ~800 homes in 12 vulnerable urban communities have benefitted from MoSSaiC interventions in three island states in the Caribbean.
  • Indirect benefits such as rainwater harvesting, reduced water bills and the saving of community relocation costs for Governments.

In 2011, the World Bank selected 13 methodologies for an `Aid Effectiveness Showcase' exhibition at its Washington DC headquarters. Due to its effectiveness, MoSSaiC was included as the only methodology relating to landslides.

Submitting Institution

University of Bristol

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Other Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Engineering: Environmental Engineering

DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATIONAL EARTHQUAKE FORECASTING SERVICES

Summary of the impact

Impact: Multi-national developments in public policy and service provision related to earthquake risk reduction, derived from the work of the International Commission on Earthquake Forecasting for Civil Protection (ICEF), established following the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake.

Significance and reach: In 2012 the Italian Department of Civil Protection allocated €1billion for seismic protection, including a multi-year programme on operational earthquake forecasting. New programmes/policies have been enacted by government bodies in the USA (2012), Russia (2012) and Japan (May 2013).

Underpinned by: Research into earthquake dynamics and predictability, undertaken at the University of Edinburgh (1996 onwards), which led to the appointment of the sole UK representative to the ICEF.

Submitting Institution

University of Edinburgh

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Earth Sciences: Geophysics

2. Engineering Solutions for High Level Nuclear Waste Disposal

Summary of the impact

Research conducted at the Geoenvironmental Research Centre (GRC), supported by the European Commission via its EURATOM programme, has been instrumental in addressing the long standing global problem of high level nuclear waste disposal. The pioneering development of a sophisticated coupled thermal/hydraulic/chemical/mechanical model of clay behaviour has provided new understanding of the performance of engineered barriers proposed for use in nuclear waste repositories. This has, in an unprecedented development, directly enabled the design of numerous nuclear waste repositories to proceed. The repositories in Sweden and Finland are currently at "Licence application" and "Construction" phases, respectively. Therefore the impacts claimed during the REF period are: significant impact on engineering design, leading to improved environmental conditions; considerable economic investment and marked impact on public policy and services.

Submitting Institution

Cardiff University

Unit of Assessment

Civil and Construction Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Interdisciplinary Engineering

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