Application of the Q-Slope Empirical Approach for Slope Stability Assessment of Spanish Mountain Roads in Winter—Combining Remote Techniques with Virtual Reality

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear authors, I have already checked your manuscript entitled "Application of the Q-slope empirical approach to the stability assessment of high mountain road cuts in winter Spain-combination with remote techniques and Virtual Reality visualization". After reviewing the manuscript. I found that the main contributions and benefits of your research. The recommendations for this decision are as follows:

1. In line17, “…slope stability analysis that takes into account the effect of ice” should be changed into “…slope stability analysis that takes into account the effect ice”.

2. In line26, “…but can also do a virtual field trip and see where and...” should be changed into “…but can also dose a virtual field trip and see where and...”.

3. In line30, “…are useful to increase the…” should be changed into “…are useful for increasing the…”.

4. In line39, “…culture, folklore, beach and sun tourism - among others.” should be changed into “…culture, folklore, beach and sun tourism, among others.”.

5. The author needs to explain in detail in the "Introduction". Moreover, the significance and progress of your research needs to be explained in "introduction" section. Some references should be cited as follows: (a) Synergistic effects of dodecane-castor oil acid mixture on the flotation responses of low-rank coal: A combined simulation and experimental study. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 2023; 33:649-658. (b) Investigation of collector mixtures on the flotation dynamics of low-rank coal[J]. Fuel, 2022,327: 125171.

6. The “Conclusions” should be refined and shorten. The quality of the figures should be improved. Authors should carefully check the format of references and citations.

no.

Author Response

Reply to Reviewer 1:

Dear reviewer

Thank you very much for taking your time to review our document. Your comments have served to enrich the text. We have responded one by one to all of those observations - which we indicate in the body of your text:

Dear authors, I have already checked your manuscript entitled"Application of the Q-slope empirical approach to the stabilityassessment of high mountain road cuts in winter Spain-combination with remote techniques and Virtual Realityvisualization". After reviewing the manuscript. I found that themain contributions and benefits of your research. Therecommendations for this decision are as follows:

In line17, “…slope stability analysis that takes into account theeffect of ice” should be changed into “…slope stability analysisthat takes into account the effect ice”.

Reply: changed

In line26, “…but can also do a virtual field trip and see whereand...” should be changed into “…but can also dose a virtual fieldtrip and see where and...”.

Reply: changed

In line30, “…are useful to increase the…” should be changedinto “…are useful for increasing the…”.

Reply: changed

 

In line39, “…culture, folklore, beach and sun tourism - amongothers.

”

should be changed into “…culture, folklore, beach andsun tourism, among others.”.

Reply: changed

The author needs to explain in detail in the "Introduction".Moreover, the significance and progress of your research needsto be explained in "introduction" section.

Reply: in line 111 we added: The significance of the work lies in the fact that it is a simple methodology for serious problems on slopes in winter and that although it is very effective, we believe that it still needs to be validated (since the Q slope "was born" in 2015, relatively recently, it is giving very good results. The research has progressed from relatively simple slopes in mid-mountain to validate the methodology to much more complex ones in high mountains.

Some references shouldbe cited as follows: (a) Synergistic effects of dodecane-castor oilacid mixture on the flotation responses of low-rank coal: Acombined simulation and experimental study. InternationalJournal of Mining Science and Technology 2023; 33:649-658. (b)Investigation of collector mixtures on the flotation dynamics oflow-rank coal[J]. Fuel, 2022,327: 125171.

Reply: we have carefully reviewed the references

Reviewer 2 Report

1. Introduction:

Commence with contextualizing the case study area within the local framework, even though it has a dedicated chapter. This part should seamlessly integrate into the case study section/chapter.

- Regarding Empirical Assessment of Rock Slopes and Virtual Reality Visualization:

In this segment and even paper, rely on a reference, namely [9] N. Barton and N. Bar's work, "Introducing the Q-slope method and its intended use within civil and mining engineering projects" (ISRM Regional Symposium, EUROCK 2015, pp. 157–162), is noted for justifying the chosen methodology. However, given the readers' interests, this reference alone falls short. To enhance this justification, the authors should provide: 1) a delineation of the introduced methods, 2) a discernment of the pros and cons inherent to each method, and 3) a rationale behind the suitability of the specific method for this study. Moreover, the introduction of VR visualization warrants further explanation, highlighting not only its trendiness but its intrinsic necessity.

Furthermore, as the introduction concludes, addressing gaps in this type of research and presenting raised research questions would be beneficial.

2. Study Area

For improved clarity, it is advisable to summarize the rationale behind selecting the two locations and provide a succinct introduction to these chosen sites. Should the authors concur with this approach, it could aptly integrate into the methodology chapter/section.

3. Materials and Methods

Beginning at Line 278: Apart from the virtual representation of the study area, there is limited exposition as to why VR plays a role in this assessment. Is the paper primarily concerned with the application of one of the adopted methodologies? Does VR contribute to the assessment process or criteria? These aspects require clarification to enhance comprehensibility.

4. Discussion

While the paper currently presents a concise overview of the study, there is room for expanding the discussion section to incorporate essential elements. Notably, this could encompass outlining the research objectives, evaluating the efficacy of the adopted methodology (including potential challenges encountered), juxtaposing the study's findings with prior research for similarities and differences, addressing limitations, and charting the course for future research directions. It is worth considering the possibility of dedicating a separate chapter to comprehensively explore these dimensions.

5. Conclusion

Rather than merely reiterating the results, endeavor to cohesively synthesize the pivotal discoveries, the study's contributions, and the potential avenues for future research. This synthesis should encapsulate the essence of the research journey.

No comment

Author Response

Dear reviewer

Thank you very much for taking your time to review our document. Your comments have served to enrich the text. We have responded one by one to all of those observations - which we indicate in the body of your text:

1. Introduction:

Commence with contextualizing the case study area within thelocal framework, even though it has a dedicated chapter. This part should seamlessly integrate into the case study section/chapter.

Reply: we have added to the first part of the introduction: This work covers the analysis of the application of the Q slope index to frozen slopes in Spain. For this, two mountainous areas with roads to ski resorts have been chosen: a small one in the center of Spain, near Madrid, and another more relevant one in the Pyrenees.

- Regarding Empirical Assessment of Rock Slopes and VirtualReality Visualization:

In this segment and even paper, rely on a reference, namely [9]N. Barton and N. Bar's work, "Introducing the Q-slope methodand its intended use within civil and mining engineering projects"(ISRM Regional Symposium, EUROCK 2015, pp. 157–162), isnoted for justifying the chosen methodology. However, given thereaders' interests, this reference alone falls short. To enhancethis justification, the authors should provide: 1) a delineation ofthe introduced methods, 2) a discernment of the pros and consinherent to each method,

Reply: This is explained in the chapter 2.2 and outlined in formulae under line 203 Virtual reality has varying degrees of immersion and development. We have simply opted for scanned 3D scenarios or 360 images that can be seen easily with VR googles. However, these scenarios can be seen from any smartphone or laptop device with less interaction capacity: it is important that it is friendly and that the images load quickly

and 3) a rationale behind the suitabilityof the specific method for this study. Moreover, the introduction ofVR visualization warrants further explanation, highlighting notonly its trendiness but its intrinsic necessity.

Reply: we added this comments to the VR explanation (line 289):

Furthermore, as the introduction concludes, addressing gaps inthis type of research and presenting raised research questionswould be beneficial.

Reply: Thanks for observations, we have follow the recommendations and changed several points

2. Study Area

For improved clarity, it is advisable to summarize the rationalebehind selecting the two locations and provide a succinctintroduction to these chosen sites. Should the authors concurwith this approach, it could aptly integrate into the methodologychapter/section.

Reply: we have included study area into the Materials and Methods section.

3. Materials and Methods

Beginning at Line 278: Apart from the virtual representation ofthe study area, there is limited exposition as to why VR plays arole in this assessment. Is the paper primarily concerned with the application of one of the adopted methodologies? Does VRcontribute to the assessment process or criteria? These aspectsrequire clarification to enhance comprehensibility.

Reply: In reality, VR does not help with data collection in the field but rather is a tool for visualizing results. In the academic field, the metaverse does help to carry out virtual field trips similar to the real ones, at least in the training aspect.

4. Discussion

While the paper currently presents a concise overview of thestudy, there is room for expanding the discussion section toincorporate essential elements. Notably, this could encompassoutlining the research objectives, evaluating the efficacy of theadopted methodology (including potential challengesencountered), juxtaposing the study's findings with prior researchfor similarities and differences, addressing limitations, andcharting the course for future research directions. It is worthconsidering the possibility of dedicating a separate chapter tocomprehensively explore these dimensions.

Reply: We added a new paragraph to the discussion section: We therefore believe that the empirical Q slope methodology is rather conservative, in general and also applied to rock slopes with ice in winter. Remote techniques and especially the SfM used here serve to take structural and geotechnical data in areas that are difficult to access and through it we can infer parameters of the Q index such as the joint set number, the SRF, etc. Once the slope has been scanned using this technique or a 360° photo has been taken, we can upload them to a digital repository where anyone can reinterpret what we have calculated and thus perform quality control. This repository can be considered a metaverse since we can see reality in a partially immersive mode. In the academic field we can see these models with Virtual Reality Googles.

5. Conclusion

Rather than merely reiterating the results, endeavor tocohesively synthesize the pivotal discoveries, the study'scontributions, and the potential avenues for future research. Thissynthesis should encapsulate the essence of the researchjourney.

Reply: we have rewritten the conclusions

 

Reviewer 3 Report

The paper presents an investigation that shows the results of the application of the geomechanical classification Q-slope on slopes of mountain roads in Spain.

The authors are invited to address the following comments:

1. The manuscript should clearly compare the empirical analysis with existing studies.

2. The authors should state clearly the contribution of their empirical analysis (with regards to other analyses). 

3. It is suggested to include the limitation and future prospective of this investigation.

Author Response

Dear reviewer

Thank you very much for taking your time to review our document. Your comments have served to enrich the text. We have responded one by one to all of those observations - which we indicate in the body of your text:

The paper presents an investigation that shows the results of the application of the geomechanical classification Q-slope on slopesof mountain roads in Spain.

The authors are invited to address the following comments:

1. The manuscript should clearly compare the empirical analysiswith existing studies.

Reply: we have rewritten and added new ideas to the Discussion and Conclusion sections

2. The authors should state clearly the contribution of theirempirical analysis (with regards to other analyses).

Reply: we have completely reformulated Discussion and Conclusions addressing this topic

3. It is suggested to include the limitation and future prospectiveof this investigation.

Reply: we added the following paragraph to the conclusion section: It is important to continue feeding the Q slope database in winter to correctly delimit the stable - unstable boundary line.

 

Reviewer 4 Report

Dear Authors,

The contents in this manuscript are new and have been useful among geotechnical and engineering communities. However, there are few issues to be addressed as following.

1) Although Q-slope methodology is clearly stated, there are lack of detailed information about construction of VR and 3D image.

2) There are many typing errors and number of subtopic. The format of number is not unique (use dot and comma).

3) Some abbreviations are stated in the first time without full word description. The unit of altitude should be masl rather than meter.

Best regards,

Author Response

Reply to reviewer 4

Dear reviewer

Thank you very much for taking your time to review our document. Your comments have served to enrich the text. We have responded one by one to all of those observations - which we indicate in the body of your text:

Dear Authors,

The contents in this manuscript are new and have been usefulamong geotechnical and engineering communities. However,there are few issues to be addressed as following.

• Although Q-slope methodology is clearly stated, there are lackof detailed information about construction of VR and 3D image.

Reply: Although some ideas are indicated in lines 247 – 257 we have added this paragraph: At the field site, the structural data are taken but at the same time a scale reference is placed that serves to orient the photogrammetry with respect to magnetic North and local coordinates. From the photographs, a photogrammetric model is built, which is the basis of the 3D model or point cloud. The 3D model serves to complete the structural data in inaccessible areas

The process of constructing 3D images from SfM photogrammetry is described below (see figure 6).

• There are many typing errors and number of subtopic. Theformat of number is not unique (use dot and comma).

Reply: we have carefully reviewed these issues.

• Some abbreviations are stated in the first time without fullword description. The unit of altitude should be masl rather thanmeter.

Reply: changed

Best regards,

 

 

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper has been modified and can be accepted.

no

Author Response

Thank you very much for yThank you very much for your contributionsour contributions

Reviewer 2 Report

Please see the below Bold texts.

1. Introduction:

Commence with contextualizing the case study area within thelocal framework, even though it has a dedicated chapter. This part should seamlessly integrate into the case study section/chapter.

Reply: we have added to the first part of the introduction: This work covers the analysis of the application of the Q slope index to frozen slopes in Spain. For this, two mountainous areas with roads to ski resorts have been chosen: a small one in the center of Spain, near Madrid, and another more relevant one in the Pyrenees.

>> The above comment asked to incorporate case study related descriptions not in the introduction but Study site. As mentioned, please consider to start with previous researches or approaches regarding this topic.

- Regarding Empirical Assessment of Rock Slopes and VirtualReality Visualization:

In this segment and even paper, rely on a reference, namely [9]N. Barton and N. Bar's work, "Introducing the Q-slope methodand its intended use within civil and mining engineering projects"(ISRM Regional Symposium, EUROCK 2015, pp. 157–162), isnoted for justifying the chosen methodology. However, given thereaders' interests, this reference alone falls short. To enhancethis justification, the authors should provide: 1) a delineation ofthe introduced methods, 2) a discernment of the pros and consinherent to each method,

Reply: This is explained in the chapter 2.2 and outlined in formulae under line 203 Virtual reality has varying degrees of immersion and development. We have simply opted for scanned 3D scenarios or 360 images that can be seen easily with VR googles. However, these scenarios can be seen from any smartphone or laptop device with less interaction capacity: it is important that it is friendly and that the images load quickly

>> No further comments

and 3) a rationale behind the suitabilityof the specific method for this study. Moreover, the introduction ofVR visualization warrants further explanation, highlighting notonly its trendiness but its intrinsic necessity.

Reply: we added this comments to the VR explanation (line 289):

>> Do you mean "This information enables the entire study to be replicated."?

Furthermore, as the introduction concludes, addressing gaps inthis type of research and presenting raised research questionswould be beneficial.

Reply: Thanks for observations, we have follow the recommendations and changed several points

>> Except for add one paragraph (lines 107-112), it is difficult to find the parts changed.

2. Study Area

For improved clarity, it is advisable to summarize the rationalebehind selecting the two locations and provide a succinctintroduction to these chosen sites. Should the authors concurwith this approach, it could aptly integrate into the methodologychapter/section.

Reply: we have included study area into the Materials and Methods section.

>> No further comments

3. Materials and Methods

Beginning at Line 278: Apart from the virtual representation ofthe study area, there is limited exposition as to why VR plays arole in this assessment. Is the paper primarily concerned with the application of one of the adopted methodologies? Does VRcontribute to the assessment process or criteria? These aspectsrequire clarification to enhance comprehensibility.

Reply: In reality, VR does not help with data collection in the field but rather is a tool for visualizing results. In the academic field, the metaverse does help to carry out virtual field trips similar to the real ones, at least in the training aspect.

>> Understood, but which parts did you include above your arguments?

4. Discussion

While the paper currently presents a concise overview of thestudy, there is room for expanding the discussion section toincorporate essential elements. Notably, this could encompassoutlining the research objectives, evaluating the efficacy of theadopted methodology (including potential challengesencountered), juxtaposing the study's findings with prior researchfor similarities and differences, addressing limitations, andcharting the course for future research directions. It is worthconsidering the possibility of dedicating a separate chapter tocomprehensively explore these dimensions.

Reply: We added a new paragraph to the discussion section: We therefore believe that the empirical Q slope methodology is rather conservative, in general and also applied to rock slopes with ice in winter. Remote techniques and especially the SfM used here serve to take structural and geotechnical data in areas that are difficult to access and through it we can infer parameters of the Q index such as the joint set number, the SRF, etc. Once the slope has been scanned using this technique or a 360° photo has been taken, we can upload them to a digital repository where anyone can reinterpret what we have calculated and thus perform quality control. This repository can be considered a metaverse since we can see reality in a partially immersive mode. In the academic field we can see these models with Virtual Reality Googles.

>> The newly added paragraph explains some of benefits of adopted methodology, but again, the discussion does not address my previous comments.

5. Conclusion

Rather than merely reiterating the results, endeavor tocohesively synthesize the pivotal discoveries, the study'scontributions, and the potential avenues for future research. Thissynthesis should encapsulate the essence of the researchjourney.

Reply: we have rewritten the conclusions

>> No further comments

No comment

Author Response

1. Introduction:

Commence with contextualizing the case study area within thelocal framework, even though it has a dedicated chapter. This part should seamlessly integrate into the case study section/chapter.

Reply: we have added to the first part of the introduction: This work covers the analysis of the application of the Q slope index to frozen slopes in Spain. For this, two mountainous areas with roads to ski resorts have been chosen: a small one in the center of Spain, near Madrid, and another more relevant one in the Pyrenees.

>> The above comment asked to incorporate case study related descriptions not in the introduction but Study site. As mentioned, please consider to start with previous researches or approaches regarding this topic.

Reply second round:

These comments and references have been incorporated at the beginning of the “study site” section: The study of permafrost and the conditions of mountain slopes with ice has already been studied in the area of ​​the Pyrenees and the Spanish high mountains but with a more geographical focus than slope engineering (13) (14). The contribution of the empirical analysis is novel and that is why ski resorts have been chosen, due to the obvious impact in winter on society.

(13) Serrano, E., Pisabarro, A., López-Moreno, J., Gómez-Lende, M., Martín-Moreno, R., & Rico, I. (2020). Mapping the potential distribution of frozen ground in Tucarroya (Monte Perdido Massif, the Pyrenees). Cuadernos De Investigación Geográfica, 46(2), 395–411. https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.4414

(14) Juan Remondo, Jesús Soto, Alberto González-Díez, José Ramón Díaz de Terán, Antonio Cendrero, (2005) Human impact on geomorphic processes and hazards in mountain areas in northern Spain, Geomorphology, Volume 66, Issues 1–4, 69-84, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.09.009.

and 3) a rationale behind the suitabilityof the specific method for this study. Moreover, the introduction ofVR visualization warrants further explanation, highlighting notonly its trendiness but its intrinsic necessity.

Reply: we added this comments to the VR explanation (line 289):

>> Do you mean "This information enables the entire study to be replicated."?

Reply: Yes

Furthermore, as the introduction concludes, addressing gaps inthis type of research and presenting raised research questionswould be beneficial.

Reply: Thanks for observations, we have follow the recommendations and changed several points

>> Except for add one paragraph (lines 107-112), it is difficult to find the parts changed.

Reply: we have added a new line (line 86..) before the topic “Empirical assessment…..”

As will be seen later, these empirical methodologies have their limitations, they are designed for a first evaluation: later analyzes will be carried out in detail considering other variables such as pieometric level, different geotechnical units and stresses

1. Materials and Methods

Beginning at Line 278: Apart from the virtual representation ofthe study area, there is limited exposition as to why VR plays arole in this assessment. Is the paper primarily concerned with the application of one of the adopted methodologies? Does VRcontribute to the assessment process or criteria? These aspectsrequire clarification to enhance comprehensibility.

Reply: In reality, VR does not help with data collection in the field but rather is a tool for visualizing results. In the academic field, the metaverse does help to carry out virtual field trips similar to the real ones, at least in the training aspect.

>> Understood, but which parts did you include above your arguments?

Reply: infigure 7 we explain the process to prepare both the VR and scanning. We have included a new line: (line 370):

Virtual reality is in this case a mere visualization system. The most complex has been the data collection and the scanning of the slopes. These scanners are used to determine the stability conditions of the slopes. What happens is that we have used commercial 3D model repositories to visualize the results and these repositories include a VR visualization mode (see table 4).

Discussion

>> The newly added paragraph explains some of benefits of adopted methodology, but again, the discussion does not address my previous comments.

Reply: Sorry, we have now added this new explanations (line 458), and hope this meet your comments:

We believe that the methodology we propose, although it has limitations, is extremely effective and fills many gaps in the type of studies carried out on slope stability. The main benefit is that the field data is readily available in a repository, and anyone can replicate the study or assess its rigor. The Q slope methodology in winter has only one reference, so we believe that our work contributes more references to the database, again, the original authors of the criterion can judge if we have taken the data correctly and incorporate it or not to your line of work. Regarding limitations and future lines of work, it is necessary to unify databases with a lot of information with easy-to-view 3D environments. The repositories and environments that we use can become saturated, so a possible line of work would be the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) type technologies.

 

 

 

Reviewer 3 Report

The comments have been addressed.

Author Response

Thank you very much for the time you have taken to suggest improvements.

Round 3

Reviewer 2 Report

Thank you for addressing my previous comments.

One final comment: consider to change the order of 

Spanish slopes in winter and Empirical assessment of rock slopes and virtual reality visualization in the introduction. That could provide more smoother transition to next chapter.

No Comment

Author Response

Regarding:

Thank you for addressing my previous comments.

One final comment: consider to change the order of 

Spanish slopes in winter and Empirical assessment of rock slopes and virtual reality visualization in the introduction. That could provide more smoother transition to next chapter.

Reply:

We really appreciated your effort and we do thing the text is much better now

Regarding the change of the order in the introduction:

Thank you for the suggestion, and we know that it can improve the text, but if it is not essential, we prefer not to do it because it will mean changing all the citations in order.