These techniques, while allowing to obtain direct information of the considered parameter, provide only 1D information. Usually, the standard techniques used to measure the water content of the soil and the water table levels in areas of potential instability are the TDR method and the piezometric measurements, respectively. The rainwater infiltration into the soil and the increase of pore water pressure in the vadose zone can be considered one of the main causes of shallow landslides triggering.
In order to study these factors, to understand the triggering mechanisms of the movement, and to monitor its dynamic evolution it is necessary to apply a multidisciplinary approach. Landslides are complex geological phenomena depending on many factors. The installed system and the preliminary results are presented in this paper. A rain gauge placed in the test site gives information on the rainfall intensity and frequency and suggests the acquisition time interval. The aim of the system is to monitor in real-time the rainwater infiltration into the soil and obtain information about the variation of the water content in the first layers of the subsoil and the possible influence of this variation on landslide activity. A prototype system for time-lapse acquisition of 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements was installed in a test site affected by a landslide in Basilicata region (southern Italy).