Mapping Landform and Landslide Susceptibility Using Remote Sensing, GIS and Field Observation in the Southern Cross Road, Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

There has been an increasing trend of land area being brought under human’s use over time. This situation has led the community to carry out land-use development activities in landslide hazard-prone areas. The use of land can have a positive impact by increasing economic conditions, but it can have negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the landslide hazard, focusing on the development of a landform map to reduce the risk of landslide disaster in JLS, Malang Regency. The integration of remote sensing and geographic information systems, as well as field observation, were used to create a landform map and a landslide susceptibility map. Using the geomorphological approach as a basic concept in landform mapping, the morphology, morphogenesis, and morphoarrangement conditions were obtained from the remote sensing data, GIS, and field observation, while morphochronological information was obtained from a geological map. The landslide susceptibility map was prepared using 11 landslide conditioning factors by employing the index of entropy method. Thirty-nine landform units were successfully mapped into four landslide susceptibility classes. The results showed that the study area is dominated by a high level of landslide susceptibility with a majority of moderate to strongly eroded hill morphology. It also reaffirms that landform mapping is a reliable method by which to investigate landslide susceptibility in JLS, Malang Regency.