Workplan Structure

Achievement of the DAMOCLES project’s objectives requires the carrying out of individual research tasks and the integration of the outputs of those tasks into an overall product larger than the sum of its components. To meet this requirement, the work has been divided into five workpackages closely related to the objectives specified in Section 2. These are:

• WP1 Development of functional relationships for debris flow behaviour derived from field data and existing databases.

• WP2 Development of a GIS hazard assessment methodology using field data, available databases and model developments.

• WP3 Development of a small basin debris flow impact model using field data and a physically based modelling approach.

• WP4 Application of a physically based, basin scale, landslide erosion and sediment yield model to land use and climate scenario analysis for selected sites.

• WP5 Dissemination of the project deliverables via training courses, workshops, implementation by end-users and placement of demonstration material on a web site.

To understand the methodology for carrying out and integrating these packages it will be helpful to know the roles and responsibilities of the DAMOCLES partners. These are identified by participant number, name and role (CO = coordinator, CR = principal contractor, AC = assistant contractor, SC = subcontractor, EU = end-user):

CO1 University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Major roles in WP4 and WP5; minor roles in WP1, WP2 and WP3.

CR2 University of Milan - Bicocca, Italy. Major roles in WP2 and WP5; minor roles in WP1, WP3 and WP4.

AC3 National Research Council - Institute for Hydrogeological Protection in Central Italy (CNR-IRPI), Perugia, Italy. Major roles in WP2 and WP5.

CR4 University of Padova, Italy. Major roles in WP3 and WP5; minor roles inWP1, WP2 and WP4.

CR5 Higher Council for Scientific Studies, Pyreneen Institute of Ecology, Zaragoza, Spain. Major roles in WP1 and WP5; minor roles in WP2, WP3 and WP4.

AC/EU6 Geomining Technical Institute, Zaragoza, Spain. Major roles in WP1 and WP5.

SC7 University of Bologna, Italy. Participation in WP2 and WP5.

SC/EU8 Lombardy Region Geological Survey (GSLR), Italy. Participation in WP2 and WP5.

SC/EU9 Veneto Regional Agency for Environment Protection (ARPAV), Italy. Participation in WP3 and WP5.

SC/EU10 Autonomous Province of Trento (ASSM), Italy. Participation in WP3 and WP5.

EU11 Land and Urban Planning Directorate, Aragón, Spain. Participation in WP5 (Not funded by project).

EU12 Interior and Local Administration Directorate, Aragón, Spain. Participation in WP5 (Not funded by project).

In addition, all six end-users are providers of data that may be used in any of the workpackages. 

Workplan Methodology

This section provides a brief description of the workpackages to indicate the basic approach, the complementarity of the packages and their linkages. The Pert diagram in Section 3.3 summarizes the links between the packages. It should be noted, though, that the links do not necessarily imply dependence. For example, WP2 will be enhanced by the outputs of WP3 and WP4 but is not completely dependent on those outputs for success. Also, while the principal flow of information is from top left to bottom right, feedback can also occur in the opposite direction. The workpackages are listed in Table 1 and described in Table 3. The deliverables are listed in Table 2.

Although aiming at a general hazard assessment methodology, the work will be based on three focus areas, both for demonstration purposes and to make the best use of participant experience and provision of data by the end-users. Focus area A is in the Pyrenees. Focus areas B and C are in the Alps.

WP2 is at the core of the project since this will produce the overall hazard assessment methodology. Its principal demonstration focus area will be B. Data will be assembled from this area by CR2 (Milan-Bicocca) and SC/EU8 (Lombardy Region Geological Survey). Data may also be used from focus areas A and C. A rockfall model will be developed by CR2 and along with the database and results from WP3 and WP4 will be combined into a GIS modelling methodology by CR2, AC3 (CNR-IRPI) and SC7 (Bologna). This methodology will be applicable at a range of scales.

WP3 will provide a debris flow impact model, applicable at the small river basin scale (<10km²). Its principal development and test focus area will be C but data from focus areas A and B will also be used. Field data will be assembled by CR4 (Padova), SC/EU9 (ARPAV) and SC/EU10 (ASSM). The model itself will be developed by CR4 with emphasis placed on user-friendliness, physical realism and relevance to practical problems. The model will be available as a stand-alone code but will also be linked into the hazard assessment methodology of WP2.

WP4 will make use of an existing but unique physically based, spatially distributed landslide erosion and sediment yield model, applicable at basin scales up to 500km² (SHETRAN). This will be applied by CO1 (Newcastle) to one site in focus area A and one site in focus area B or C (the final choice depending on data availability). Data will be provided by CR5 (Pyreneen Institute of Ecology), AC/EU6 (Geomining Technical Institute), EU11 (Land and Urban Planning Directorate), EU12 (Interior and Local Adminstration Directorate) and the relevant contractor and end-users for focus area B or C. The model will be applied to give spatial distributions of landslides and debris flows for a range of land use and climate change scenarios, both as a comparison with and for input to the hazard assessment methodology of WP2. In addition it will be used to explore the impact of debris flows on river basin sediment yield and to develop illustrative guidelines on land management for minimising debris flow occurrence and sediment yield impact.

WP3 and WP4 provide important inputs to WP2 which will enhance the capabilities and reliability of the hazard assessment methodology. In particular they, along with model developments in WP2, will provide a capability for both prediction and forecasting of rapid slope failures. The specific type of forecast which could be considered in the project is the identification of conditions likely to result in the generation of debris flows within an area over a limited period of time. The workpackages also complement each other by enabling debris flow problems to be examined at a range of spatial scales.

A major challenge in the DAMOCLES project will be to ensure integration of the WP3 and WP4 outputs with the requirements of WP2. This will require close collaboration between CO1 (Newcastle), CR2 (Milan-Bicocca) and CR4 (Padova) and agreement at the start of the project on data exchanges, data formats and exact areas of responsibility. The project quality assurance procedure provides a rigorous standard for the required management.

WP1 provides for improved understanding of the relationships between debris flow behaviour and characteristics and environmental variables, including land use. Data collection, mapping and data analysis will be carried out by CR5 (Pyreneen Institute of Ecology) and AC/EU6 (Geomining Technical Institute) for three basins (up to 5500 km² in total area) in focus area A. Relevant data may also be used from focus areas B and C. Relationships linking, for example, debris flow occurrence, runout distance and volume of material mobilized as a function of relevant meteorological, geomorphological and land use conditions will be developed and used to refine the models in WP3 and WP4. It will be particularly important to be able to model the control on debris flow occurrence and behaviour exercised by forest cover, in order to represent the impacts of afforestation and deforestation. The package will also provide detailed location maps and occurrence probability maps of rapid slope failures in the focus area, of particular interest to AC/EU6 (Geomining Technical Institute), EU11 (Land and Urban Planning Directorate) and EU12 (Interior and Local Administration Directorate).

WP5 defines the practical aspect of the DAMOCLES project in terms of technology transfer. It is important that the project should not only advance our knowledge of rapid slope failures but also put that understanding at the disposal of end-users. All the participants have important roles in this package and it will therefore be led by CO1 (Newcastle). The principal and assistant contractors will provide and transfer the information, while the project end-users will be the immediate beneficiaries. Other end-users from outside the project may also be able to participate in certain parts of the transfer. The main dissemination procedures are training courses mounted by CR2 (Milan-Bicocca) and CR4 (Padova), workshops to be led by CO1 and attended by all participants, demonstration implementations of the models and methodologies in the relevant focus areas (CO1, CR2, CR4, CR5 and AC/EU6) and the placement of demonstration results on a web site (led by AC3 (CNR-IRPI) and involving all participants). End-user advice and needs will be important in defining these procedures.

Each of WP1, WP2, WP3 and WP4 involves to a greater or lesser degree the collection of field data and the use of existing databases. The actual data required vary between the workpackages and the responsible participants will therefore manage their own data assembly programmes in each package. However, experience and expertise will be shared between participants, partly because the data provision for each package will involve more than one participant and partly because opportunities will be taken through meetings to transfer procedures formally. In addition the project quality assurance procedures will provide standards for recording data exchange and storage.

 

Graphical Presentation of the Project Components (Pert diagram)

⁴ Workpackage number: WP1 - WPn

⁵ Number of the contractor leading the work in this workpackage.

⁶ The total number of person-months allocated to each workpackage.

⁷ Relative start date of the work in the specific workpackage, month 0 marking the start of the project, and all other start dates being relative to this start date.

⁸ Relative end date, months 0 marking the start of the project, and all end dates being relative to this start date.

⁹ Deliverable number: Number for the deliverables(s)/result(s) mentioned in the workpackage: D1-Dn

Deliverables list

^a Restricted level refers to deliverable as input to another component of the project. All deliverables will be made public via deliverable D11.

^b Trained end-user.

¹⁰ Deliverable numbers in order of delivery dates: D1 - Dn

¹¹ Month in which the deliverables will be available, month 0 marking the start of the project, and all delivery dates being relative to this start date.

¹² Please indicate the nature of the deliverable using one of the following codes:

Re = Report Da = Data set Eq = Equipment

Pr = Prototype Si = Simulation Th = Theory

De = Demonstrator Me = Methodology O = Other (describe in annex)

¹³ Please indicate the dissemination level using one of the following codes:

PU = Public

RE = Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commisssion Services).

CO = Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services)