Rural Dorset 5G Landslip Monitoring Plan

Dorset to develop a coastal landslip monitoring system using 5G connected sensors to monitor cliff movement.

03:15 13 May 2021

5G RuralDorset has recently announced an £8million project aimed at monitoring coastal landslip using 5G-connected sensors. 

 

The project will see the development of a system that will monitor the temperature, ground movement and rainfall so coastal landslips can be better understood. 5G sensors will be used to collect and process data that project leaders would use to design plans that can contribute to coastal resilience in the face of climate change and rising sea levels. 

 

Project leaders have confirmed that the system will be trialled at Lyme Regis and Burton Bradstock due to their active landslides. 

 

The project, which is backed by the government's Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport, will be launched in cooperation with Vodafone, Neutral Networks, Bournemouth University and the British Geological Survey.

 

Dorset Council deputy leader Peter Wharf said: "Cliff failures present a very dangerous problem not only in Dorset but other coastal regions which see huge numbers of visitors every year. This research, along with the coastal public safety trials, is critical to people’s safety and the long-term prosperity of the area.

 

"Current monitoring methodologies are also very costly for the council and this new technology will hopefully provide significant savings in future."

 

Engineering geologist and landslide specialist Catherine Pennington, of the British Geological Survey, said: "Due to climate change, our sea levels are rising which means we will see an increase in erosion and landslide activity at the coast.

 

"Understanding these processes is important in building resilience for the future so we can adapt to these changes. This project is an opportunity to combine expertise to explore a different, cost-effective and efficient way of collecting landslide data. 

 

"We hope the resulting system will help us understand the processes that drive coastal landslides as they happen in real-time."