Research
Our work spans three areas, from full-scale experiments to remote sensing.
Slope failure and debris flow
When and how does a rain-soaked slope fail, and how far will the failed mass travel? Through full-scale failure experiments, numerical modelling of static liquefaction and mobility, and debris-flow detection from ground vibration, we assess how likely and how severe slope disasters may be, and what they would mean for people and infrastructure.
Selected papers
- Hydrological amplification and landscape-resetting sediment pulses: A 45-year baseline evaluation of the 2025 Mataian River landslide-dam event, Taiwan
- Experimental Research on Rain-Induced Landslide Mechanism Using Large-Scale Rainfall Experimental Facility: Findings and Challenges
- River rejuvenation on a fluvial fan induced by typhoons and earthquakes
- DEBRIS FLOW DETECTION USING REMOTE GROUND VIBRATION RECORDING BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL DATAIn Japanese
- 土石流の流入によるため池貯水時の堤体への作用荷重の評価In Japanese
- Basic study on the ground vibration measurements in debris flow experimentsIn Japanese
- Experimental investigation of ground vibration characteristics due to debris flow under rainfall conditionsIn Japanese
- Millennial-scale coseismic landslide history inferred from topographic and stratigraphic features of a post-caldera cone of Aso Volcano in southwestern Japan
Satellite and UAV remote sensing
What can we learn about a slope from space and from the air? We use satellites, UAVs and 3D point clouds to capture slope change and disaster damage, develop sensing that keeps working in heavy rain, and build platforms that share disaster data when it is needed most.
Selected papers
- Using unmanned aerial vehicle monitoring for the landslide and dammed lake: a case study of the Xiuluan area in Taiwan
- Geophysical exploration from space and the air (Remote sensing and drone geophysical surveys)In Japanese
- Impact of Rainfall on the Detection Performance of Non-Contact Safety Sensors for UAVs/UGVs
- 災害時にも使えるフェーズフリーな衛星データの利活用In Japanese
- Development of Satellite Remote Sensing Data and Geo-spatial Data Platform for Disaster ManagementIn Japanese
- Development of satellite remote sensing data and Geo-spatial data platform for disaster managementIn Japanese
Large-scale rainfall experiments and extreme rainfall
What does heavy rain do to slopes, vegetation and machines? At the NIED Large-Scale Rainfall Experiment Facility, we apply rainfall of up to 300 mm/h to full-size slopes, trees, sensors and robots, and we also analyse the causes and impacts of extreme rainfall events in the field.
- Rainfall area
- 3,000m²
- Maximum rainfall intensity
- 300mm/h
Selected papers
- Experimental Research on Rain-Induced Landslide Mechanism Using Large-Scale Rainfall Experimental Facility: Findings and Challenges
- Machine Learning Reveals the Contrasting Roles of Rainfall and Canopy Structure Metrics on the Formation of Canopy Drip and Splash Throughfall
- Impact of Rainfall on the Detection Performance of Non-Contact Safety Sensors for UAVs/UGVs
- Urban waterlogging mitigation based on the concept of sponge city
- Canopy Structure Metrics Governing Stemflow Funneling Differ between Leafed and Leafless States: Insights from a Large‐scale Rainfall Simulator
- What Factors Contributed to the Torrential Rainfall of Hurricane Harvey over Texas?
International collaboration
We work with universities and research institutes across Asia, Europe and North America.
- MalaysiaUniversiti Teknologi Malaysia
Unsaturated tropical residual soils and rainfall-induced slope failure
- NorwayNorwegian Geotechnical Institute
GEOMME project on climate-induced geohazards in Japan, South Korea and Norway; IoT-based slope monitoring systems
- TaiwanNational Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction
Landslide dams, sediment disasters and UAV monitoring
- United StatesNHERI DesignSafe, The University of Texas at Austin
- VietnamInstitute of Geological Sciences, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology