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A multi-modal deep learning framework with GAN-based fusion for enhanced landslide detection

Author

Listed:
  • R Srivats
  • Deepika Roselind Johnson
  • G Logeswari
  • R Saimirra
  • Muskaan Siddiqui
  • Abhiram Sharma

Abstract

The proposed work presents a hybrid deep learning framework that integrates four pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks that include VGG16, DenseNet201, ResNet50 and InceptionV3. The pre-trained CNNs are combined with a GAN-based adversarial refinement module for accurate landslide detection and segmentation. Unlike traditional single-CNN or ensemble models, the proposed model performs multi-backbone feature fusion to accurately capture global level terrain context and fine-grained spatial details. The GAN component sharpens boundaries and suppresses noisy predictions through discriminator-guided refinement. The proposed system generates GIS-ready probability maps with confidence layers. They are also optimized for low-latency inference, making it suitable for rapid post-disaster decision support. The proposed work is evaluated on three benchmark datasets - CAS Landslide (high-resolution GF-2/UAV imagery), MS2LandsNet (medium-resolution Sentinel-2) and GDCLD (coseismic landslides). The proposed framework achieves F1-scores of 97.24%, 93.70% and 94.75% across the three datasets. These results correspond to improvements of 1.4 to 2.9% over fusion baselines and 4–7% over single-CNN models such as VGG16, DenseNet201,ResNet50 andInceptionV3. The results highlight consistent IoU gains and improved boundary delineation. The cross-dataset experiments further demonstrate strong generalization across varying resolutions, terrain types and triggering mechanisms. To our knowledge, this is the first landslide segmentation study to combine multi-backbone feature fusion with adversarial mask refinement in an operational monitoring context. The results confirm that the proposed framework delivers high accuracy, scalability and deployment readiness making.

Suggested Citation

  • R Srivats & Deepika Roselind Johnson & G Logeswari & R Saimirra & Muskaan Siddiqui & Abhiram Sharma, 2026. "A multi-modal deep learning framework with GAN-based fusion for enhanced landslide detection," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 21(4), pages 1-42, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0347324
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0347324
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Deliang Sun & Danlu Chen & Jialan Zhang & Changlin Mi & Qingyu Gu & Haijia Wen, 2023. "Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Based on Interpretable Machine Learning from the Perspective of Geomorphological Differentiation," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-37, May.
    2. Qing Liu & Tingting Wu & Yahong Deng & Zhiheng Liu, 2023. "SE-YOLOv7 Landslide Detection Algorithm Based on Attention Mechanism and Improved Loss Function," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-19, July.
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