Optimizing ensemble learning for satellite-based multi-hazard monitoring and susceptibility assessment of landslides, land subsidence, floods, and wildfires

The preparation of accurate multi-hazard susceptibility maps is essential to effective disaster risk management. Past studies have relied mainly on traditional machine learning models, but these models do not perform well for complex spatial patterns. To address this gap, this study uses two meta-heuristic algorithms (Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)) to provide an optimized Random Forest (RF) model with better predictive ability. We focus on four significant hazards—landslides, land subsidence, wildfires, and floods—in Kurdistan Province, Iran, using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery collected between 2015 and 2022. Furthermore, two models of RF-GA and RF-PSO were utilized to create multi-hazard susceptibility, which were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). The RF-GA algorithm achieved 91.1% accuracy for flood hazards, 83.8% for wildfires, and 99.1% for landslide hazards. In contrast, utilizing RF-PSO resulted in a 95.9% accuracy for land subsidence hazards. The combined RF-GA algorithm demonstrated superior accuracy to individual RF modeling techniques. Furthermore, eastern regions are more prone to floods and land subsidence, whereas western areas face more significant risks from landslides and wildfires. Additionally, floods and land subsidence exhibit a considerable correlation, impacting each other’s occurrence, while wildfires and landslides demonstrate interacting dynamics, influencing each other’s likelihood of occurrence.