Developing Geologic Loss Estimation Factors: Effect of DEM Resolution in Site Classification

Abstract

Site conditions affect the magnitude of loss due to geologic hazards including, but not limited to, earthquakes, landslides and liquefaction. Reliable geologic loss estimation system requires site information which can be achieved by GIS-based method using geologic or topographic maps. Slope data derived from DEM can be an effective indicator for classifying the site conditions. We studied and discussed the effect of different DEM resolutions in the site classification. We limited the study area to the south-eastern Korea and used two different resolutions of DEMs to observe discrepancies in the site classification results. Largest discrepancy is observed in the areal coverage of site class C (very dense soil) and E (soft soil). Comparison of results shows that more areas are classified as site class B (general rock) or E (soft soil) when we use higher resolution DEM. The comparison also shows that more areas are classified as site class C (very dense soil and soft rock) or D (stiff soil) using lower resolution DEM. The comparison of results using resampled DEMs with different resolutions shows that the areal coverage of site class B and E decreases with decreasing resolutions. On the contrary, areal coverage of site class C and D increase with decreasing resolutions. Loss estimation system can take advantage of higher-resolution DEMs in the area of rugged or populated to obtain precis