Ranasinghe

As mere mortals, there is not much we could do in the face of such forces of nature, except to forecast such disasters before they happen. Authorities can then launch evacuation procedures to save as many lives as possible. Nishamanie Ranasinghe, a Geoinformatician, says, “there are three parts to minimizing effects from landslide disasters, i.e. prediction, detection and monitoring. My PhD research focused particularly on the first two aspects”.

Nishamanie is a product of Tangalle Balika Vidyalaya and pursued tertiary education at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Surveying Science. She not only got a First Class, but was also placed at the top of her batch. She then proceeded to do a Masters with The International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Netherlands, where she acquired expertise in remote sensing. The connections she made with Germany while in the Netherlands had proven to be helpful for her PhD. Nishamanie remembers with gratitude Prof. Joachim Ender and Dr. Nies from the Center for Zess at the University of Sigen, Germany who helped her to obtain satellite imagery from the German Aerospace Center.

Present-day Geoinformaticians make extensive use of technology to aid their work. One of the most versatile technologies they confide in now is satellite imaging. According to Nishamanie, there are two types of images, Optical and Radar. “Optical images are weather dependent and are not clear when obstructed by clouds” says Nishamanie, “I prefer radar images because they are independent of weather conditions and can be observed at any time of day even though the processing and interpretation is a challenge”. Nishamanie noted that she had to purchase further satellite images and that they were quite costly. She said, “I am fortunate that I received a grant from the Higher Education for the 21^st Century project (HETC) from the Ministry of Higher Education, Sri Lanka, otherwise it would not have been possible”.

Nishamanie says that there is a lack of field-based studies in disaster management in Sri Lanka. The study of landslides is an area where you need constant monitoring. There are some parts of Sri Lanka which are especially susceptible to landslides due to climatic and earth conditions. Koslanda, where she based her study, is one such area. Together with satellite imagery she used the Digital Evaluation Model (DEM) of the earth compiled by aerial photogrammetry and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission to improve landslide prediction. Fifteen predisposing factors derived from radar, optical, DEM and other data sources were used in the prediction model. Her work not only predicts landslides, but even more importantly predicts how the debris would flow. As such, her research suggests methods to predict changes in a particular geographical area by providing the sources of an impending landslide before it strikes. If proper action is taken using this information to warn and evacuate, then many lives could be saved.

The study findings and its methods of using satellite imagery and DEM to detect changes that trigger landslides have been presented at international and national conferences, and journals. Nishmanie noted “unlike few years back, most satellite data and images are freely available now and Sri Lanka should look to make use of these resources to minimize damage caused by landslides to the nation”.

Nishamanie is grateful to her supervisor, Senior Professor Anuruddha Puswewala. She says, “in preparation to undertake a project for my PhD, I was looking for a good supervisor and had heard that University of Moratuwa has a supportive research environment. I got to experience this supportive culture at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at UoM, especially through my supervisor”. Prof. Puswewala has completed a Bachelor's degree at UoM and M.Eng at the Asian Institute of Technology. His PhD is from the University of Manitoba, Canada. He has built a successful career in the academia.

Nishamanie also extends her thanks to the second supervisor Dr. Thilantha Dammalage, who completed his Bachelor degree at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and Masters and PhD from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. Dr. Ranmalee Bandara, Head of the Department of Surveying and Geodesy, Faculty of Geomatics at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka is a mentor that Nishamanie speaks of with much appreciation.

Nishamanie is now a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Geomatics, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. She is no doubt a valuable resource for this Faculty, which is a pioneer of its kind in Sri Lanka. She aspires to carry out further research in partnership with National Building Research Organization (NBRO) to assist in disaster management, and hopes that her work will be well received and applied to detect and manage disaster situations in Sri Lanka.

We wish Nishamanie all the best and would like to see her become a renowned Geoinformatician in Sri Lanka.

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