Maps of roadways in 44 of Minnesota’s 87 counties chart slopes within a half-mile of roadways in 10-meter-by-10-meter units. Areas are color-coded for their vulnerability to failure based on slope shapes, proximity to risk factors like streams, and past failures.
Available as PDFs and 20-by-30-inch posters, these maps point time-strapped state and county engineers toward slope segments that may require monitoring, future inspection, or immediate attention.
Investigators developed the maps in two phases of research. Work included developing and refining a model for assessing slope failure risks based on slope characteristics and proximity to risk factors. While most models test for one type of slope failure, this model evaluates over a dozen types of failures.
The model, which can be used in MnDOT’s existing GIS platform, generates PDFs and physical maps of slopes that are color-coded according to risk levels. Research is in motion to map the entire state.
Learn more:
- Technical Summary: New GIS Model Assesses and Maps Slope Failure Vulnerability (MnDOT, 2019-12/28TS, 2019)