Latest Developments of Hong Kong’s Landslip Warning System

The Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) has been operating, in conjunction with the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), a territory-wide Landslip Warning System for over 35 years. The objective of the System is to alert the general public of possible landslide risks during periods of heavy rainfall. The GEO operates an extensive network of automatic raingauges which provides real-time rainfall information for use in the Landslip Warning System. Over the years, various measures have been implemented to enhance the efficiency and reliability of the raingauge system. Rainfall-landslide correlation models, which support the algorithm of the Landslip Warning System, have recently been updated to incorporate the most recent landslide and rainfall data using advanced geospatial and statistical techniques. This paper gives an overview of the major components of the Hong Kong Landslip Warning System and describes the technical basis of the System.