Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Geology (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Advisor 1
Thomas Oommen
Committee Member 1
John Gierke
Committee Member 2
Ann Maclean
Abstract
The Probabilistic Infinite Slope Analysis model (PISA-m) is a widely used computer program that uses infinite slope equations to calculate the spatially varying Factor of Safety of slopes. ESRI’s ArcGIS software and accompanying geoprocessing tools have become a mainstay in spatial data processing, and received full support for Python with the release of version 10. With many of the geoprocessing tools now available as a Python function, the software can be used for physics-based spatial landslide hazard analysis. A model that mimics PISA-m and its processing of normally distributed soil properties was created using the Python utility as a tool for ArcGIS. The newly created ArcGIS tool is referred as the GIS Tool for Infinite Slope Stability Analysis (GIS-TISSA). The tool was tested using the example data from PISA-m and case-study data from the district of Kannur, Kerala, India. The results from both areas highlight how different slope calculations can affect the overall calculation of the Factor of Safety, as well as the new model’s ability to accurately predict Factor of Safety of slopes in an area.
Recommended Citation
Sanders, Jonathon, "DEVELOPING A GIS TOOL FOR INFINITE SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS (GIS-TISSA)", Open Access Master's Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2017.