Envision Science Animation: Landslide Early Warning Systems in Indonesia

This animated video explains the research into landslide early warning systems in Indonesia, exploring why a single nationwide rainfall threshold is not sufficient for a country of such diverse and complex landscapes and how more accurate, region-specific thresholds could give communities the time they need to evacuate safely.

Lisa Agustina, a researcher at Nottingham University as part of the Envision PhD programme, is developing region-specific rainfall thresholds for landslide prediction in Indonesia, combining satellite data, local rainfall records, ground condition analysis, and landslide susceptibility mapping to identify which areas are most at risk and why.

animation Type

Research and Science Communication

Author: Mair Perkins

Clients

Envision The University of Nottingham

Credits & Associates

  • Script written by Lisa Agustina and Mair Perkins
  • Direction by Lisa Agustina
  • Style and storyboard design by Mair Perkins
  • Illustration by Mair Perkins
  • Animation by Mair Perkins
  • Voiceover sourced and edited by Ben Haynes
  • Music from Adobe Stock

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This animation was commissioned to communicate Lisa's research to a broad audience, making the science of geohazards, rainfall thresholds, and landslide susceptibility mapping accessible without requiring prior knowledge of earth sciences or disaster risk reduction. It is intended for use in public engagement, educational, policy, and conference settings, including with communities and decision-makers in Indonesia.

This is one of a series of animations produced for Envision PhD researchers. Envision runs a competition in which early-career researchers submit a brief for an animated film; selected winners have their research brought to life through professional animation.

Script & style concept

We collaborated with Lisa to write a 2 minute script for the animation based on the competition entry that explained her research and pitched the storyline concept.

A style concept was created inspired by reference images of Indonesian landscapes and artwork. The result is a 2D vector style with a mix of flat colour and considering line drawing detail. The style gives an idea of how the final animation would look.

Style concept

Sketched storyboards

A storyboard was sketched out based on the script in Photoshop then uploaded to Boords. The storyboard images were then put into a video sequence with a draft voiceover recording so we could test the timings and ensure the script and images made sense when played together.

At this point we made some script and image revisions before moving to the next stage.

Sketched storyboard

Illustrated storyboards

Once the sketched storyboards were signed off, the storyboards were illustrated in the style design.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Illustrator.

Some revisions were made before moving onto the next production phase.

Illustrated storyboard

Animation

The animation phase started by preparing all the illustrations for animation. This involved separating artwork out onto layers and naming them.

The illustrated storyboard files were imported into Adobe After Effects then animated.

A professional voice over artist recorded the script then the audio track was mixed and edited so it could be animated in time to.

Ani

Research Insights

Indonesia is one of the most landslide-prone countries on Earth. With steep terrain and intense seasonal rainfall, thousands of landslides occur every year, destroying homes, cutting off communities, and taking lives. Between 2019 and 2024 alone, more than four thousand landslide events were recorded across the country — with devastating consequences for families, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

Unlike earthquakes, rainfall can be forecasted, making it a critical variable for early warning systems. However, Indonesia currently relies on a single, nationwide rainfall threshold to trigger landslide alerts. With landscapes ranging from volcanic slopes to tropical valleys, this one-size-fits-all approach is inadequate: rainfall levels that pose no danger in one region may be sufficient to trigger a landslide in another.

Lisa's research, conducted as part of a UK-Indonesia partnership in geohazards, is addressing this problem by developing region-specific rainfall thresholds. The work combines satellite remote sensing data, local rainfall records, and detailed analysis of ground conditions to build a more accurate picture of landslide risk across Indonesia's diverse terrain. The research also incorporates analysis of landscape features and human influences — such as land use change and infrastructure — that affect susceptibility beyond rainfall alone, and extends to estimating vulnerability in terms of potential fatalities and economic losses.

A key output of the research is a landslide susceptibility map: a detailed spatial tool that identifies, for each region, the rainfall level at which landslide risk becomes critical. By verifying landslide event data using remote sensing sources and integrating multiple data streams, this map provides a foundation for more targeted and timely early warning alerts.

With more accurate thresholds in place, early warning systems can deliver alerts with enough lead time for communities to evacuate safely — turning scientific data into lives saved. The research brings together international expertise and local knowledge, aiming to make Indonesian communities more resilient in the face of one of the country's most persistent and deadly natural hazards.

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