Written by Knowledge Sharing Division and NOAH Hazard Assessment Team
Two researchers from the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) recently participated in a Geosphere Infrastructures for Questions into Integrated Research (Geo-INQUIRE) training program on landslide-tsunami modeling, hosted by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) in Oslo, Norway last March 10–14, 2025.
Dr. Likha Minimo, UPRI Knowledge Sharing Division Director, and Raymond Gallego, a project researcher and Dr. Minimo’s former undergraduate advisee, received hands-on technical training focused on refining our simulation models for the deadly 2022 landslide-tsunami event in Abuyog, Leyte. A continuation of the UPRI’s field study and Mr. Gallego’s undergraduate thesis, this serves as a case study for the Project RILTiMe (Rainfall-Induced Landslide-Tsunami Modelling for Coastal Barangays of Southeastern Leyte Island, Philippines). Geo-INQUIRE seeks to break down cross-domain barriers, particularly between land, sea, and atmospheric environments. It will leverage cutting-edge data management techniques, advanced modeling and simulation methods, AI and big data innovations, and enhance existing data infrastructures to make these resources accessible to the broader scientific community.
The training centered on the application of BingClaw, a debris flow model developed at NGI, which can be coupled with tsunami models using the Clawpack software framework. These models are useful in probabilistic hazard modelling of cascading coastal and submarine landslide-tsunami hazards, which will help enhance disaster mitigation strategies in landslide prone coastal areas in Philippines.
Although the in-person training concluded in March, UPRI continues its collaboration with NGI to further enhance the Abuyog landslide-tsunami model and other possible similar disasters. Additionally, Dr. Minimo and Mr. Gallego will cascade this training to the UPRI NOAH Center on utilizing these models to strengthen capacity building in geohazards research.
Geo-INQUIRE, a European Commission-funded project, provides researchers access to specialized software tools from 51 partner institutions across Europe. Learn more about this on this page https://www.geo-inquire.eu/about/about-geo-inquire.