Early-warning engineering for corridor vulnerability: A remote sensing threshold model for disaster risk reduction in Tanzania

This research article examines how Earth observation technologies can strengthen early warning and disaster risk reduction for transport infrastructure in Tanzania. Focusing on the Standard Gauge Railway, Central Corridor and Mtwara Corridor, the study develops a Remote Sensing Engineering Performance Dashboard (RSE-PD) that translates satellite-derived environmental signals into operational engineering thresholds for infrastructure management.

The predictive subsystem consistently identifies vulnerability signals 78–97 days prior to observable deterioration, reflecting a physically grounded geotechnical transition phase linking environmental stress accumulation to structural response. These findings confirm that EO-derived diagnostics can be translated into calibrated serviceability limit states, providing an empirically validated basis for infrastructure risk characterization and early-warning detection.