Multiple neural networks switched prediction for landslide displacement

An accurate prediction of landslide displacement is challenging and of great interest to governments and researchers. In order to reduce the risk of selecting the types of influencing factors and artificial neural networks (ANNs), a multiple ANNs switched prediction method is proposed for landslide displacement forecasting. In the first stage, a set of individual neural networks are developed based on different environmental factors and/or different training algorithms. In the second stage, a switched prediction method is used to select the appropriate individual neural network for prediction purpose. For verification and testing, three typical landslides in Three Gorges Reservoir, namely Baishuihe landslide, Bazimen landslide and Shiliushubao landslide, are presented to test the effectiveness of our method. Application results demonstrate that the proposed method can significantly improve model generalization and perform similarly to, or better than, the best individual ANN predictor. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.