Item: TOWARDS SYSTEMATIC PATTERNS AND AVALANCHE RISK ANALYSIS WITH CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND EVENT DETECTION ON AVALANCHE SLOPES WITH A NOVEL SENSOR ARRAY BOX IN AUSTRIA
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Title: TOWARDS SYSTEMATIC PATTERNS AND AVALANCHE RISK ANALYSIS WITH CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND EVENT DETECTION ON AVALANCHE SLOPES WITH A NOVEL SENSOR ARRAY BOX IN AUSTRIA
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway
Authors:
- Markus Hoffmann [ Hoffmann-Consult, TU Wien (ISTU) and BOKU (IKI), Vienna, Austria ]
- Michael Brauner [ OEBB-Infrastructure AG, Vienna, Austria ]
- Christan Rachoy [ OEBB-Infrastructure AG, Vienna, Austria ]
- Thomas Dolleschal [ BLADESCAPE Airborne Services GmbH, Schwechat, Austria ]
- Johannes Leubolt [ BLADESCAPE Airborne Services GmbH, Schwechat, Austria ]
- Ingrid Reiweger [ BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Civil Engineering and Natural Hazards, Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering, Vienna, Austria ]
Date: 2024-09-23
Abstract: Austria's largest railway infrastructure operator, OEBB-Infrastruktur AG aims to ensure safe and reliable operation of the rail network with minimal closure times. To achieve this goal, technical as well as organizational avalanche protection measures such as risk assessment by internal avalanche commissions are implemented. In addition to the local experience of the committee members, high-altitude weather data, knowledge of the local situation and route-specific 72-hour weather forecasts are important factors in the committee's decision-making. With our research project we aim to support the decision making as well as avalanche risk assessment by providing continuous snowpack data from avalanche slopes. To collect this data we developed a novel sensor box array called SnowBox. The array consists of several sensors boxes which are deployed either by hand or drone at key locations on avalanche slopes at the start of the winter-season or after snowfall events. The sensors provide continuous data on temperature, humidity, position, and movement under the snow-cover during the entire winter period. The data transmission is based on a wireless system with the data being locally stored and accessed via a web platform called SnowView. Moreover, the data is automatically analyzed based on a decision tree together with an event detection algorithm immediately alarming responsible personnel by SMS and email. This paper provides a short overview of the sensor array SnowBox and the web platform SnowView with a focus on analyzing monitoring data and avalanche events from the winter period 2023/2024. Although avalanche slopes in several regions are currently being monitored within the research project, the event analysis is focused on several verified events in the ski resort Arlberg, Austria. Further details on the development process and techniques from the patented SnowBox and SnowView are covered in a different paper.
Object ID: ISSW2024_O8.4.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Markus Hoffmann; Michael Brauner
Keywords: monitoring, avalanche slopes, event detection, systematic patterns, risk analysis
Page Number(s): 1013 - 1019
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