A screen capture of a 3-D image of the 2015 Kramer Avenue slide area, produced by the state Division of Geophysical Survey.

Researchers with the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit based in Santa Monica, California, and other community partners are beginning work on a three-year project to develop a landslide warning system in Sitka using inexpensive sensor technology, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

That tech paired with existing internet and social networks would create a system that measures water density in hills and mountains surrounding Sitka’s population and accurately predict when and where landslides will occur.

Researchers Robert Lempert, Josh Roering, and Ryan Brown described what the system could look like down the line on today’s Morning Interview.

You can read a summary of RAND’s project proposal here.