## 3 Materials and Methods
### Landslide Conditioning Factors  
In general, there are no predefined criteria for selecting conditioning factors for landslide susceptibility. The selected factors should be operative, quantifiable, non-uniform, and non-redundant [43]. Based on the national geomorphological characteristics and previous studies, nine conditioning factors were selected for this LSM. The nine conditioning factors are elevation, slope, aspect, lithology, rainfall, land cover, distance to roads, distance to faults, and distance to drainage. The digital elevation model (DEM) with 10 m resolution was obtained through open data for Austria, and slope and aspect layers were derived from the DEM. Land cover data were obtained from the Austrian Land Information System (LISA). Lithology and fault data were obtained from the Geological Survey of Austria (GBA). The drainage and road network data were obtained from the open street map (OSM) Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) data export tool. Rainfall data were obtained from Klimaszenarien fur Osterreich (OKS15) for Austria. All the mentioned data was processed to 10 m resolution to produce landslide conditioning factors using Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) maintainedArcGIS software. Figure 2 shows the landslide conditioning factors used in this study. The elevation is a key conditioning factor. Three out of the nine conditioning factors are direct measures (elevation) or are directly influenced by elevation (slope and aspect) [44]. Elevation influences other topographic attributes of a region that can lead to spatial variabilities, such as the vegetation distribution. Vegetation changes are directly correlated to the increase in elevation. In this study, elevation was classified into five classes: 0-500 m, 500-1000 m, 1000-1500 m, 1500-2000 m, and \(>\) 2000 m above mean sea level. The slope angle directly affects the stability of the slope. The slope is directly related to landslides, as a greater angle of slope is more susceptible to failure [35]. The slope angle conditioning factor was derived from the DEM and classified into five classes: 0\({}^{\circ}\)-10\({}^{\circ}\), 10\({}^{\circ}\)-20\({}^{\circ}\), 20\({}^{\circ}\)-30\({}^{\circ}\), 30\({}^{\circ}\)-40\({}^{\circ}\), and \(>\) 40\({}^{\circ}\). The slope aspect influences the slope steadiness indirectly through the hydrologic process, such as rainfall, and also influences the weathering process [2]. The aspect defines the slope direction. Slope aspect was categorized into nine classes: north (0\({}^{\circ}\)-22.5\({}^{\circ}\); 337.5\({}^{\circ}\)-360\({}^{\circ}\)), northeast (22.5\({}^{\circ}\)-67.5\({}^{\circ}\)), east (67.5\({}^{\circ}\)-112.5\({}^{\circ}\)), southeast (112.5\({}^{\circ}\)-157.5\({}^{\circ}\)), south (157.5\({}^{\circ}\)-202.5\({}^{\circ}\)), southwest (202.5\({}^{\circ}\)-247.5\({}^{\circ}\)), west (247.5\({}^{\circ}\)-292.5\({}^{\circ}\)), northwest (292.5\({}^{\circ}\)-337.5\({}^{\circ}\)), and flat (0\({}^{\circ}\)). In many studies, lithology has been recognized as one of the key conditioning factors for LSM. Lithological units vary based on their strength, permeability, and susceptibility to failure [45]. A variation of lithological units may mean a variation of strength and permeability within the rock strata. The lithological units of Austria were classified into 23 main classes: orthogneiss, gneiss, paragnetism, granite, gravel, amphibolite, marble, limestone, metasediment, sandstone, carbonate rock, coarse clastics, mica schist, phyllite, volcanic rock, andesite, ophiolite, serpentinite, calcitic marble, tonalite, eklogite, dolomite, and water. Land cover is another key conditioning factor for LSM [46; 47]. Aside from the topography, land cover can often explain highly complex landslide patterns in the resulting LSMs. Land cover data wereclassified into ten classes: built-up, flat sealed surfaces, permanent soil, bare rock and screes, water, snow and ice, trees, bushes and shrubs, herbaceous, and reeds.