SANF: National warning system for rainfall-induced landslides in Italy

In Italy, rainfall-induced slope failures occur every year, claiming lives and causing severe economic damage. We have designed and implemented a landslide warning system, named SANF (an acronym for national early warning system for rainfall-induced landslides), to forecast the possible occurrence of rainfall-induced landslides in Italy. The system is based on: (i) rainfall thresholds for possible landslide occurrence, (ii) sub-hourly rainfall measurements obtained by a national network of 1950 rain gauges, and (iii) quantitative rainfall forecasts. Twice a day, the system compares the measured and the forecasted rainfall amounts against pre-defined ID thresholds, and assigns to each rain gauge a probability of landslide occurrence. This information is used to prepare synoptic-scale maps showing where rainfall-induced landslides are expected in the next 24 hours.