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

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.

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Publication Details

Journal
PLoS ONE
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347324
Primary Topic
Landslides and related hazards
Type
article
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article

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

Abhiram Sharma, Deepika Roselind Johnson, G Logeswari, R Saimirra et al.
PLoS ONE
Landslides and related hazards
article

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

Abhiram Sharma, Deepika Roselind Johnson, G Logeswari, R Saimirra, R Srivats, Muskaan Siddiqui
article en

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.

PLoS ONEVol. 21(4)
Vellore Institute of Technology University (IN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Landslides and related hazards
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