Item: FROM DETECTION TO DECISION SUPPORT: EXPANDING THE ROLE OF DOPPLER AVALANCHE RADAR IN HAZARD MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
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Title: FROM DETECTION TO DECISION SUPPORT: EXPANDING THE ROLE OF DOPPLER AVALANCHE RADAR IN HAZARD MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Théo St. Pierre Ostrander [ Geoprevent, Zurich, Switzerland ]
- Heather Hordowick [ 6 Point Engineering, Nelson, British Columbia ]
- Bret Shandro [ 6 Point Engineering, Nelson, British Columbia ]
- Eoin Trainor [ Avalanche Technician, British Columbia ]
- Peter Barsevskis [ Avalanche Technician, British Columbia ]
- Maxence Carrel [ Geoprevent, Zurich, Switzerland ]
- Greg Johnson [ 6 Point Engineering, Nelson, British Columbia ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Avalanche mitigation infrastructure, including remote avalanche control systems, bridges, snowsheds, and large earthen diversion or arresting structures, requires significant capital investment and ongoing maintenance. Doppler avalanche radar systems can support infrastructure planning by providing high-resolution spatial and temporal data that inform the optimization of infrastructure selection, configuration, and placement. Event data collected from a steep terrain feature in a high-snowfall region of northwest British Columbia during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 winters demonstrate the scale and practical value of these observations. Over this period, the radar system detected more than 8,000 avalanche events within a single monitored area. These observations were collected in conjunction with an operational avalanche forecasting and control program, providing practitioner-based hazard information to support infrastructure planning. In addition to its value as an applied avalanche forecasting tool, this dataset provides planners and asset managers with a quantitative basis for evaluating avalanche frequency and spatial distribution, supporting more informed and defensible infrastructure design decisions. This paper demonstrates how high-resolution radar observations can support both quantitative risk assessment for infrastructure planning and daily hazard forecasting for operational risk management.
Object ID: ISSW2026_FS4.2.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098452
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Theo St Pierre Ostrander
Keywords: Doppler Radar, Planning, Operations, Monitoring, Mitigation.
Page Number(s): 814 - 821
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