MANGALURU: An invention developed at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Suratkal, was granted a patent by the Indian Patent Office, marking a significant breakthrough in landslide early warning technology. The patented system titled 'A Device for Slope Vulnerability and Land-Slide Assessment (S-VALSA)', with a patent term of 20 years, was created by Varun Menon O under the guidance of Sreevalsa Kolathayar, associate professor of the Department of Civil Engineering.
S-VALSA, a three-stage integrated warning mechanism, combines hydrological, geotechnical, and visual analysis. The first stage uses machine learning models trained on historical landslide and rainfall data to establish rainfall intensity-duration thresholds.
The second stage introduces a "digital twin" of the slope, which is continuously updated with real-time data on soil moisture and pore pressure. The final stage employs Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to visually track soil movement, offering confirmation of slope failure progression.