Geohazard Susceptibility and Risk Forecasting Tool for Railroads

The objective of this Phase I effort is to establish the feasibility of a real-time geohazard risk forecasting tool that integrates historical, real-time, and forecasted data to enhance railroad geohazard detection, monitoring, and alert systems. The research will focus on developing and validating semi-automated geohazard susceptibility assessments and real-time geohazard risk forecasting, ensuring that the proposed solution aligns with industry needs and can be effectively deployed by an operating railroad. The Phase I research seeks to answer the following technical questions to assess feasibility: 1) Can a semi-automated geohazard susceptibility assessment tool be developed to locate specific areas of concern and enable baseline assessment of geohazard risk; 2) Does publicly available remote sensing (e.g., EO satellite) data have sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to allow its use in real-time, remote monitoring of geohazards; 3) Is forecasted weather data reliable enough to be used as a real-time predictor of changes in geohazard risk; and 4) Can the geohazard risk forecasting tool successfully predict the increase in risk prior to the failure of known historic geohazards, and if so, how far advance can the prediction be made.