Using Cutting-Edge Technology to

USING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO TACKLE ENGINEERING CHALLENGES

KAUST professors support the Governor of the Kingdom’s Asir Region

MATTHEW MCCABE Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, and Associate Director of the Water Desalination and Reuse Center

APART FROM UNDERTAKING CUTTINGEDGE RESEARCH, KAUST FACULTY ALSO USE THEIR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING BACKGROUNDS TO ADDRESS REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS – BRINGING NEW INSIGHTS AND TECHNIQUES TO BEAR ON PROBLEMS OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.

GOVERNOR OF ASIR REGION

“KAUST’s distinguished team has set an example for success through their dedication, commitment and immediate response.”

HRH Prince Turki Al Talal Al Saud

In February 2020 KAUST Professor of Earth Science and Engineering Carlos Santamarina received a call to support the Governor of Asir following critical damage to an important mountain road construction project. New works that had caused inadvertent damage along a major arterial transport link for the region threatened a risk of road collapse. The Governor, HRH Prince Turki Al Talal Al Saud, reached out directly to KAUST for technical help.

Referred by Professor Santamarina, Matthew McCabe – Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, and whose background is in earth observation and remote sensing – mobilised a team to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other scientific tools to map the affected area. McCabe’s research at KAUST has focused on the use of remote sensing to support efficient water use in Saudi Arabia. Using satellite technology and weather data, his team has been able to accurately estimate crop water levels in irrigated fields of maize in the country. McCabe has pioneered remote sensing to provide practical solutions in the Kingdom.

The threat to the Asir construction site required site observation to be conducted very quickly. However, the site’s topographical complexity and steep terrain – including 700-meter-tall cliffs – meant traditional monitoring solutions were not suitable, as direct site navigation would be particularly difficult. This paved the way for a remote sensing solution. After initially advising and putting together a work plan, McCabe sent a team of KAUST researchers to survey the site using UAVs. The team created a high-resolution map of the terrain to look for signs of instability. Using GPS, KAUST also created 3D models of the site.

To date there have been no landslides at the site. The Governor has been extremely happy with the university’s support, praising KAUST and the university’s technical expertise. Over the coming months, KAUST plans to conduct more UAV flights to ensure that the structural stability of the terrain is maintained. A long-term solution must include monitoring for early detection of warning signs.