Comparison of machine learning algorithms for slope stability prediction using an automated machine learning approach

Evaluation of slope failures, which cause significant loss of life and property comparable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes, is one of the main areas of interest in geotechnical engineering. Although traditional and modern methods have been developed for slope stability analysis, the importance given to computer-based approaches has increased in recent years. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms in classification-based slope stability assessment. In this context, examining the impact of input parameters, such as slope height, slope angle, unit volume weight, internal friction angle of the soil, cohesion of the slope material, and water pressure ratio on the slope stability potential and a comparative analysis was performed on the ML algorithms. On the other hand, automated machine learning (AutoML) approaches were used to make rapid and comprehensive comparisons of ensemble, boosting, bagging and traditional ML algorithms to simplifying application development. The weighted ensemble learning algorithm provided by the AutoGluon package outperformed other algorithms in both testing and training accuracy, achieving an impressive rate of 97.5%, according to the obtained results. All algorithms included in the study performed well, with NeuralNetTorch and CatBoost securing the second position with an accuracy rate of 95%. Furthermore, when evaluating the importance of features using the best algorithm, it can be seen that unit volume weight and internal friction angle of soil had the highest weights, 0.225 and 0.200, respectively, indicating their importance in classifying slope stability. In conclusion, our research significantly advanced slope stability assessment, achieving one of the highest accuracy of 0.975 among various classification-based studies.