Landslide monitoring is a mandatory step in landslide risk assessment. It requires collecting data on landslide conditions (e.g., areal extent, landslide kinematics, surface topography, hydrogeometeorological parameters, and failure surfaces) from different time periods and at different scales, from site-specific to local, regional, and national, to assess landslide activity. In this analysis, we collected information on landslide monitoring techniques from 17 members of the Earth Observation and Geohazards Expert Group (from EuroGeoSurveys) deployed between 2005 and 2021. We examined the types of the 75 recorded landslides, the landslide techniques, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, status of the technique (operational, non-operational), time of using (before the event, during the event, after the event), and the applicability of the technique in early warning systems. The research does not indicate the accuracy of each technique but, rather, the extent to which Geological Surveys conduct landslide monitoring and the predominant techniques used. Among the types of landslides, earth slides predominate and are mostly monitored by geological and engineering geological mapping. The results showed that Geological Surveys mostly utilized more traditional monitoring techniques since they have a broad mandate to collect geological data. In addition, this paper provides new insights into the role of the Geological Surveys on landslide monitoring in Europe and contributes to landslide risk reduction initiatives and commitments (e.g., the Kyoto Landslide Commitment 2020).

The main objective of the Portuguese project “CONVERTE-Biomass Potential for Energy” is to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, identifying biomass typologies in mainland Portugal, namely agri-forest waste, energy crops and microalgae. Therefore, the aim was to design and construct a georeferenced (mapping) database for mainland Portugal, to identify land availability for the implementation of energy crops and microalgae cultures, and to locate agricultural and forestry production areas (including their residues) with potential for sustainable exploitation for energy. The ArcGIS software was used as a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, introducing the data corresponding to the type of soil, water needs and edaphoclimatic conditions in shapefile and raster data type, to assess the areas for the implantation of the biomass of interest. After analysing the data of interest in each map in ArcGIS, the intersection of all maps is presented, suggesting adequate areas and predicting biomass productions for the implementation of each culture in mainland Portugal. Under the conditions of the study, cardoon (72 kha, 1085 kt), paulownia (81 kha, 26 kt) and microalgae (29 kha, 1616 kt) presented the greater viability to be exploited as biomass to energy in degraded and marginal soils.

Imaging spectroscopy (IS) can identify target materials at both mineralogical and geochemical levels. Therefore, in environmental applications, it can be used to assess contamination derived from mining activities, moving from contamination sources along pathways to receptors as acid mine drainage (AMD). This can be based on the spectra of specific assemblages of minerals from spectral libraries, which can indicate pH values at the time of their generation and the subsequent acid-generating potential. Alternatively, field spectral measurements can be used as input data for mapping algorithms. This study presents a new methodological approach to improving the results for mapping contamination sources and pathways, by combining multisource spectra from both these approaches at different scales. In addition to the mineralogical libraries and field spectra already mentioned, additional end-member spectra that are extracted from IS data are used so as to highlight particular site phenomena otherwise undetected by the two previous approaches. The highly correlated spectra are then used as input to the Spectral Angle Mapper algorithm, to establish a map of local field spectra and also one from image end-members. The intersection of the two maps results in an improved map, assigned in terms of correlation ≥0.8 of mineralogical assemblages focused on AMD indicators. This methodology was tested in the abandoned S. Domingos Mine, in southeast Portugal's Iberian Pyrite Belt, with AMD caused by long-term exploitation of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. Data from the HyMap™ sensor covered the area, and field spectroradiometric measurements were undertaken and analysed for mineralogical and geochemical content. A flightline containing the open pit was processed according to the aforementioned methodology, focusing directly on the target of interest and minimizing errors. The final map displays the mineralogical assemblage correlations ≥0.8 of variable pH indicators, particularly isolating a low-pH combination of significance to the contamination in the area.