Item: CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN SATELLITES AND FORECASTERS: EXPERIENCES FROM THE SWEDISH MOUNTAINS
-
-
Title: CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN SATELLITES AND FORECASTERS: EXPERIENCES FROM THE SWEDISH MOUNTAINS
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Jakob Grahn [ NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Tromsø, Norway ]
- Daniel Stødle [ NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Tromsø, Norway ]
- Petter Palmgren [ Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm/Östersund, Sweden ]
- Anton Grindgärds [ Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm/Östersund, Sweden ]
- Mattias Tarestad [ Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm/Östersund, Sweden ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can help observe avalanches across large and remote areas, but detection results alone are not enough for routine use. Forecasters need to see when and where the satellite observed, inspect the evidence behind each candidate, compare it with familiar information and learn what it can and cannot tell them. Developers need feedback linked to a specific place, time and set of conditions. Within the SNÖFALL project, we are developing Lavinkartan as a shared tool for this exchange between product developers at NORCE and the Swedish avalanche forecasting service. Lavinkartan is a web-based visualisation and feedback tool built on NLive. An automated system compares repeated Sentinel-1 observations and publishes event candidates. Each candidate is shown in three-dimensional (3D) terrain with its source SAR image, familiar map layers, time controls and processing status. Users can share a view through a web link and assess a candidate in the same tool. During the 2025–2026 pilot, 6,781 event candidates were published within a 145,131 km² monitoring domain. Two short examples show how the tool supported investigation and targeted field checks. They illustrate an emerging exchange between forecasters and developers: questions raised while using the tool could be shared, investigated and connected to field evidence. Initial feedback from the small pilot group indicated that Lavinkartan helped direct attention and provided a spatially broader view of possible activity, including beyond the forecast regions, while also identifying needs for clearer coverage information, better filtering and richer validation.
Object ID: ISSW2026_O9.5.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098695
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Jakob Grahn
Keywords: avalanche forecasting, synthetic aperture radar, avalanche detection, visualisation
Page Number(s): 1619 - 1620
-