Item: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OPERATIONAL GENERATION CHANGE WITHIN AVALANCHE SERVCES
-
-
Title: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OPERATIONAL GENERATION CHANGE WITHIN AVALANCHE SERVCES
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway
Authors:
- Peder Caviezel [ Cantonal road authority TBA Grison, Switzerland ]
- Martin Keiser [ Office for forest and natural hazards AWN Grison, Switzerland ]
- Janic Cathomen [ Wyssen Avalanche Control, Switzerland ]
- Matthias Pleyer [ Wyssen Avalanche Control, Switzerland ]
- Walter Steinkogler [ Wyssen Avalanche Control, Switzerland ]
Date: 2024-09-23
Abstract: In many areas of the Alps, there will be a generational change within the avalanche services over the next few years. This entails the risk of knowledge loss in the assessment of avalanche hazard and the resulting measures, especially when it comes to securing transportation corridors and settlements, where avalanches are often large but less frequent than in ski resorts. Although years of experience, local knowledge and "gut feeling" cannot be completely digitized, technological developments allow to process and store at least some of this valuable information in a structured format. This enables 1) the smoothest possible transition to new and existing members of the avalanche service, and 2) it minimizes the operational risk that can arise from a loss of knowledge. The avalanche service of the cantonal road authority in the Lower Engadine (Switzerland) assesses up to 200 avalanche paths spread over a road distance of approximately 200 km. The road connection of the Lower Engadine represents an important traffic route for industry, and tourism, in this region (up to 6000 cars on peak winter days). Meteorologically, the region is challenging as both west-northwesterly and southerly weather conditions can lead to significant snowfall and wind transport. Furthermore, the avalanche paths are distributed over a very large altitude range of 1000 - 3000 m.a.s.l. Using the example of Piz Chapisun (2930 m), known as the "Gonda avalanche", over 25 winter seasons were digitally processed from handwritten data, maps and relevant snow/weather events. The avalanche paths have a length of 1600 meters, and both dry and wet avalanches can endanger the road, railway, hiking trail and a cross country slope in the runout. All avalanche paths were analyzed based on different escalation levels, indicator avalanches and historical documentation. By exploring the operational applicability of a digital knowledgebase it is shown that this concept could be expanded to a large area with over 200 avalanche paths, and despite new measurement and detection data, human experience is still crucial in the digital transformation.
Object ID: ISSW2024_O10.2.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: Knowledge transfer, digital database, data-driven decisions, generation change
Page Number(s): 1326 - 1331
-