71 The Use of Airborne LiDAR Data in Basin-Fan System Monitoring: An Example from Southern Calabria (Italy) Loredana Antronico, Paolo Allasia, Marco Baldo, Roberto Greco, Gaetano Robustelli, and Marino Sorriso-Valvo Abstract To analyse morphologic and volumetric changes within an active basin-fan system of about 0.250 km 2 in Calabria (South Italy), we compare two high-resolution DTMs (50 cm) derived from aerial LiDAR surveys conducted in October 2012 and May 2013. The comparison allowed us to: (i) evaluate the magnitude of erosion-transport-sedimentation processes (ii) identify the extent of an active landslide within the feeder sub-basin, and (iii) confirm the fan, feeder channel and feeder basin dynamics obtained from previous works based on geological and geomorphological field surveys. The results demonstrate that the LiDAR techniques can be a useful tool for the monitoring of geomorphological changes in areas affected by severe erosion and depositional processes. Keywords Active alluvial fan Á LiDAR Á DTM Á Calabria (Italy) 71.1 Introduction LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is a consolidated technology used to obtain high-resolution digital represen- tations of the topographic surface (for areas ranging from a few hectares to thousands of square kilometres) from sensors mounted on aerial or terrestrial platforms (Jaboyedoff et al. 2012). Main applications of LiDAR derived DEMs (Digital Terrain Model) are focused on detection, mapping, charac- terization, monitoring and modelling of mass movement such as landslides, debris flows, rock falls and deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (Jaboyedoff et al. 2012, and references therein). LiDAR surveys can be replicated for the same area to obtain multiple representations of the topo- graphic surface that can be used for multi-temporal analyses, including displacement monitoring and quantitative volu- metric estimation in landslide studies (Baldo et al. 2009; DeLong et al. 2012; Cavalli et al. 2013; Croke et al. 2013; Giordan et al. 2013; Theule et al. 2012). In this paper we show the preliminary results obtained from detailed monitoring of an active basin-fan system based on comparing DTMs derived from aerial LiDAR surveys. The LiDAR data contributed to quantitatively asses the volume changes within the basin-and-fan system, and infer a preliminary model about the sediment transfer processes from the source area to fan surface. 71.2 Study Site The study was conducted on a basin-fan system located on the southern slopes of the Aspromonte Range, near the vil- lage of San Lorenzo (Calabria, Italy), Fig. 71.1. In this area, at the confluence of the Inerà T. with the Fiumara di Mèlito, an active alluvial fan is present. The drainage basin of the L. Antronico (&) Á M. Sorriso-Valvo CNR IRPI, Via Cavour 4/6, 87036 Cosenza, Italy e-mail: antronico@irpi.cnr.it P. Allasia Á M. Baldo CNR IRPI, Strada delle Cacce, Torino, Italy R. Greco Rende, CS, Italy G. Robustelli DIATIC, Università della Calabria, Rende, CS, Italy G. Lollino et al. (eds.), Engineering Geology for Society and Territory – Volume 2, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-09057-3_71, © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 441