NGI's expertise in assessing natural hazards is internationally recognised. Our competence helps to protect life and property.We have expertise on landslides, rock fall, flooding, tsunamis and earthquakes.
25 percent of NGI's activity is related to natural hazards. We provide research and consulting services to the business sector, land-owners and authorities. NGI has expertise on natural hazards including avalanches, landslides, rock slides, floods and earthquakes. NGI provides advice and guidance to developers and authorities in Norway in accordance with the regulations set by the Norwegian Planning and Building Act.
One third of NGI's turnover is from international projects. Within the fields of natural hazards, NGI also carries out projects for stakeholders on all continents, the World Bank and the U.N., as well as for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our international activity ranges from direct assistance in emergency situations related to natural disasters, assistance for mitigation, to capacity building and exchange of expertise.
NGI delivers
- hazard and risk mapping
- analyses for landslides, rockslides and avalanches
- avalanche warnings
- analysis of stability and landslide hazards
- analysis of tsunami propagation and run-up height
- design of hazard and risk mitigation measures
- monitoring systems
- assistance in emergency situations
- courses on assessment and risk reduction related to natural hazards
- landslides in sensitive clays ('quick clays')
- hazard and risk assessment and management
Detailed list of services relating to natural disasters offered by NGI
Our characteristics
Our experts are familiar with local conditions in the majority of avalanche-prone parts of Norway, and have 60 years experience related to landslides and rock slides. We have mapped areas at risk due to quick clay slides, avalanches and rock slides. NGI operates its own avalanche research facility in the Strynefjell mountains. In the event of acute avalanche and slide situations, NGI assists the local authorities and provides safety advice.
Assignments and state-of-the-art expertise
NGI coordinates SafeLand, a large-scale research project funded by the EC. The project team comprises 25 research organizations from 13 European countries. SafeLand will develop and implement an integrated and comprehensive approach to guide decision-making for management of landslide risk. The methodologies developed will be tested in selected hazard and risk 'hotspots' in Europe.
NGI is actively involved in assessing the rock slide risk on the mountainside at Åkneset, located in the Storfjord in Norway. Here, and at other risk prone mountain sides, surveillance systems are used to monitor the development of rock fractures. In Thailand, NGI, together with Norwegian organizations, has worked collectively for Thai authorities assessing the risk of future tsunamis, and has developed strategies in the mitigation of the risk.
Development of the geosciences
Authorities and organizations with avalanche and landslide expertise regularly meet at NGI for exchange of experiences. Participation in national and international research projects adds to our expertise. NGI was one of the contributors to the Geoextreme project, especially on the evolution of snow avalanches and landslides with climate change and extreme weather conditions. NGI participates actively in several EC projects within avalanche and risk management.
NGI is the lead organization in the International Centre for Geohazards (lCG), one of the first Norwegian Centres of Excellence in research. ICG does research on assessment, prevention and mitigation of risk associated with tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides in rock and soils and submarine geohazards, particularly submarine slides. Risk and vulnerability analyses are an important part of ICG's research.
ICG also initiated M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs in geohazards at The University of Oslo and The Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.