GIS-based landslide susceptibility zoning using a coupled model: a case study in Badong County, China

Landslide susceptibility zoning is necessary for landslide risk management. This study aims to conduct the landslide susceptibility evaluation based on a model coupled with information value (IV) and logistic regression (LR) for Badong County in Hubei Province, China. Through the screening of landslide predisposing factors based on correlation analysis, a spatial database including 11 landslide factors and 588 historical landslides was constructed in ArcGIS. The IV, LR and their coupled model were then developed. To validate the accuracy of the three models, the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and the landslide density curves were correspondingly created. The results showed that the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) of the three models were 0.758, 0.786 and 0.818, respectively. Moreover, the landslide density increased exponentially with the landslide susceptibility, but the coupled model exhibited a higher growth rate among the three models, indicating good performance of the proposed model in landslide susceptibility evaluation. The landslide susceptibility map generated by the coupled model demonstrated that the high and very high landslide susceptibility area mainly concentrated along rivers and roads. Furthermore, by counting the landslide numbers and analyzing the landslide susceptibility within each town in Badong County, it was discovered that Yanduhe, Xinling, Dongrangkou and Guandukou were the main landslide-prone areas. This research will contribute to landslide prevention and mitigation and serve as a reference for other areas.