|
THE
CONSORTIUM
Overview
of the Consortium
The
six principal and assistant contractors provide a comprehensive and
complementary range of expertise and resources, integrating in particular
field study, GIS analysis, mathematical modelling and teaching. They
include one end user and are supported by a further five.
CO1
University of Newcastle upon Tyne,
UK. Project coordinator and leader of WP4 (application of the
SHETRAN landslide model) and WP5 (dissemination).
CR2
University
of Milan-Bicocca, Italy. Leader of WP2 (GIS hazard assessment
methodology).
AC3
CNR-IRPI,
Perugia, Italy. Provision of GIS and web expertise in WP2 and
WP5.
CR4
University
of Padova, Italy. Leader of WP3 (small basin debris flow impact
model).
CR5
Pyreneen
Institute of Ecology, Zaragoza, Spain. Leader of WP1 (debris
flow behaviour relationships).
AC/EU6
Geomining Technical Institute,
Zaragoza, Spain. End-user and provision of support for partner
CR5.
The
partners complement each other as follows:
University
of Newcastle upon Tyne: Large basin modelling and related data
provision.
University
of Milan-Bicocca: GIS hazard assessment modelling and data provision.
University
of Perugia: GIS and web expertise.
University
of Padova: Debris flow modelling and related data provision.
Pyreneen
Institute of Ecology: Debris flow field surveys and mapping.
Geomining
Technical Institute: End-user interest and field surveys and mapping.
The
remaining end-users are:
SC/EU8
The Geological Survey of the Lombardy Region,
(GSLR), Italy.
SC/EU9
The Veneto Regional Agency for Environmental Protection
(ARPAV),Italy.
SC/EU10
The Autonomous Province of Trento
(ASSM), Italy
EU11
The Land and Urban Planning Directorate, Aragón, Spain.
EU12
The Interior and Local Administration Directorate, Aragón,
Spain.
Letters
of intent from all six end-users are attached at the end of this annex.
The means by which the end-users are involved in the project (assistant
contractor, subcontractor or unfunded participant) depends on intended
contribution and institutional arrangements. Subcontracts are let
to GSLR, ARPAV and ASSM for supporting experimental catchments, data
provision and participation in project meetings and training courses.
The end-users from Aragón are unfunded.
Description
of the Participants
Partner
1 : University of Newcastle (UNEW), UK
Role
UNEW
will perform the overall project coordination as well as leading
WP4 and WP5. Within the University the work will be carried out
by the Water Resource Systems Research Laboratory (WRSRL), Department
of Civil Engineering.
Experience
The
Water Resource Systems Research Laboratory (WRSRL) is one of the
leading international university research centres in its field and,
with 8 academic staff, 10 research staff, 20-25 research students
and multi-sponsor research income of over a million pounds a year,
it is also one of the largest. Innovative research has been conducted
over many years to develop a range of leading-edge technologies:
these include hydrological, sediment and contaminant transport modelling
systems such as SHETRAN, hydroinformatic tools and decision support/management
systems. The aim is to improve the ability of decision-makers to
address a spectrum of urgent concerns over management of the water
environment and engineering infrastructure. Rigorous procedures
are in place to verify the system computer codes and to demonstrate
their fitness for purpose. In addition it has become increasingly
apparent that modelling developments must be integrated more effectively
with field programmes and several integrated programmes have therefore
been developed, notably in the UK, Chile, Spain and Switzerland.
The WRSRL has coordinated a number of EC projects (eg POPSICLE,
GRACE and WRINCLE) and been a partner in others (eg MEDALUS, VAHMPIRE
and FRAMEWORK), all of which are concerned with aspects of environmental
change impact modelling. The WRSRL is located in the Department
of Civil Engineering, which received the highest ratings (5, 5A
and 5-star) in the 1989, 1992 and 1996 national research assessment
exercises, reflecting international excellence in research. The
Newcastle campus is also well known for its cross-faculty Centre
for Land Use and Water Resources Research which, since 1985, has
been spearheading interdisciplinary research on integrated land
and water resource management.
Personnel
The
team will consist of a senior academic (Project Coordinator and
team leader) and a Research Associate supported by the WRSRL Computer
Manager.
Partner
2 : Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (UNIBICO), Italy
Role
UNIBICO
will lead Workpackage 2. Within the University the work will be
carried out by the recently founded Department of Geological Science
and Geotechnology. Subcontracts will be let to the University of
Bologna (which with CNR IRPI is a leading centre for the use of
GIS in hazard zonation) and the Lombardy Regional Geological Survey
(which is charged with landslide management in the region). The
Survey will be an important end user of the project results.
Experience
The
Department of Geological Science and Geotechnology has been recently
founded as part of the new University of Milano-Bicocca (transferred
from the Department of Geology, University of Milan). Its main research
subjects concern the assessment of risks: hydrogeological (landslides,
floods, groundwater contamination, etc.), seismic and volcanic,
environmental on land and at sea. The staff is composed of about
25 persons (professors and researchers) with experience in different
fields of geology and of risk assessment. Through previous positions
at the University of Milan the staff developed extensive experience
in the field study and modelling of debris flows in the Italian
Alps and the Apennines, with a particular interest in the rainfall
conditions triggering flow formation. They played a central role
in analysing recent catastrophic events, in particular the 1987
Valtellina and the 1994 Piemonte disasters. These analyses have
enabled a detailed database on debris flows in northern Italy to
be assembled.
Personnel
The
team will comprise two senior academics and two researchers, plus
a senior academic at the University of Bologna.
Partner
3 : CNR-IRPI, Perugia, Italy
Role
The
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto di Ricerca per la Protezione
Idrogeologica nell’Italia Centrale (CNR-IRPI) will play a major
role in WP2 and WP5. A subcontract will be let to an independent
engineer who will provide expertise for the development of a GIS-based
web system for disseminating project results.
Experience
The
CNR-IRPI Institute in Perugia is one of the leading research institutions
for regional landslide hazard assessment in Italy. The Perugia group
has extensive experience in landslide mapping at different scales
and in different physiographic environments, acquisition of relevant
thematic information from aerial photograph interpretation and field
survey, interpretation of landslide hazard assessment using multivariate
statistical techniques, use of historical information on natural
catastrophes to assess landslide and flood hazard, use of GIS for
thematic data storage and analysis, and production and use of high
quality digital elevation models for geomorphological research.
Geologists at IRPI are currently working with the Lombardy Region
Geological Service and with the Umbria Region Planning Office in
preparing landslide inventory and hazard maps at various scales,
and devising methodologies for the proper application of such maps.
Personnel
The
team will consist of two senior researchers and the subcontracted
engineer.
Partner
4: University of Padova (UNIPD), Italy
Role
UNIPD
will lead Workpackage 3. Within the University the work will be
carried out by the Department of Land and Agroforest Environments.
Subcontracts will be let to the Veneto Regional Agency for Environmental
Protection and the Autonomous Province of Trento.
Experience
The
Department of Land and Agroforest Environments at the University
of Padova, through its Water Resources Division, develops education
and research activities in the field of forest hydraulic, watershed
management, hydrology and water resources. Forest hydraulic and
watershed management research areas include sediment transport and
debris flow analysis and modelling, extreme flood analysis, fluvial
geomorphology and risk-based decision analysis, stabilization, rehabilitation
and restoration of torrents disturbed by debris flow and channel
incision. Field work in experimental and instrumented basins (Rio
Cordon and Chiesa, Veneto Region; Rio Maso di Calamento, Trento
Province), GIS and remote sensing technology, data assimilation,
and hydraulic modelling are used for monitoring variability and
change of erosion processes and mass movements. The Department carries
out fundamental and applied researches into the physical processes
governing the dynamics of water and sediment in the alpine environment.
The initiation and the behaviour of debris flow propagation at steep
slopes, and the debris flow hazard in urban areas are subjects of
investigations . The assessment and prediction of volume, run-out
, and deposition of mass movements in small basins of the northeastern
Italian Alps (< 10 km2 ) are examined. With the support
of mountain torrent control agencies (Veneto Region and Trento Province)
the design, construction and monitoring of experimental grading
control structures are conducted. The Department, through its Water
Resources Division, has been involved in several EC funded RTD projects,
such as "Instability, erosion and solid transport on steep
mountain slopes", EROSLOPE I project; "Dynamics of water
and sediment in alpine catchments: processes and prediction",
EROSLOPE II project, (ENVIRONMENT Programme); "Ricerca integrata
sulla degradazione dei versanti in territori montani", R.I.V.E.T.
project (EPOCH program); ‘Weather radar and flood and storm hazard’
(EPOCH programme), ‘Storms, floods and radar hydrology’ (ENVIRONMENT
programme), and EUROTAS (Fourth Framework Programme).
Personnel
The
principal investigators at the University of Padova will be a full
professor and two assistant professors.
Partner
5 : Insituto Pirenaico de Ecologia (CSIC), Spain
Role
CSIC
(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) will lead Workpackage
1. Within CSIC the work will be carried out by the Instituto Pirenaico
de Ecologia (Pyreneen Institute of Ecology) and specifically the
Institute's Department of Soil Erosion and Land Uses.
Experience
The
work of the Department of Soil Erosion and Land Uses is focused
on the hydrological and geomorphological effects of land use changes
at different time and space scales. It has a scientific staff of
7. At present its research activities include the effects of land
use change from traditional management, sediment budgets at the
basin scale, identification of sediment sources using GIS, current
and past fluctuations of sediment yield determined from lake and
reservoir sedimentation studies, use of GIS for geomorphic and land
use mapping, assessment and spatial prediction of geomorphic hazards
by GIS and multivariate analysis, and the impact of tourism on soil
erosion and on land management organisation. The Department has
a lengthy research background in extreme events and large debris
flows and played a central role in analyzing the August 1996 Biescas
campsite disaster. It specialises in field based studies and operates
an experimental station and three experimental catchments in the
neighbouring Pyrenees. The Department was a partner in the EC VAHMPIRE
project (Validating hydrological models using process studies and
internal data from research basins; tools for assessing hydrological
impacts of environmental change), supplying information for modellers
and studying runoff and sediment transport from small experimental
catchments and experimental plots.
Personnel
The
team will be led by the Head of the Department of Soil Erosion and
Land Use and will consist also of four other members of the Department.
Partner
6: Instituto Tecnológico y Geominero de España (ITGE), Spain
Role
ITGE
will participate as an assistant contractor and end-user principally
in Workpackage 1. It will contribute to the project via its Zaragoza
Projects Office
Experience
Formerly
known as the Instituto Geologico y Minero de España (IGME), ITGE
is a public research organization within the Spanish Ministry of
the Environment with a total staff of 400. It was founded in 1849
with the aims of carrying out research, technological development
and technical assistance in geology, mineral resources, groundwater,
natural risks, geoenvironment and related disciplines in Spain.
It is the national research and information centre on earth sciences
and related technologies and is the equivalent of Geological Surveys
in other countries. Included in its work is the geological mapping
of Spain at various scales and investigation of the relationship
between geology and its resources. Of relevance to DAMOCLES, ITGE
studies geological risks, seeks to understand the causes of catastrophic
events associated with these risks, and provides risk assessments
for client organizations. Its activities additionally encompass
the analysis of natural and anthropic risks, statistics of natural
disasters, prevention of natural risks, theory and forecasting of
risks and climatic change
Personnel
The
team will be led by the Chief of the Aragón territorial section
of the ITGE and will involve also the Chief of Geological Studies
in ITGE.
|
