Item: Snow Safety Control Operations: An Interactive Web-Based Approach
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Title: Snow Safety Control Operations: An Interactive Web-Based Approach
Proceedings: Proceedings, 2012 International Snow Science Workshop, Anchorage, Alaska
Authors:
- Phoebe B. McNeally [ Dept. of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT ]
- Jim Collinson [ Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT ]
- Randy Trover [ Snowbird Ski Patrol, Snowbird, UT ]
- Peter Schory [ Snowbird Ski Patrol, Snowbird, UT ]
Date: 2012
Abstract: Snow safety and ski patrol at skis areas are faced with the daunting task of maintaining avalanche control routes and artillery controlled areas. In this digital age, the majority of ski areas still maintain and archive their routes, shot locations, and results on paper. Although this method of record keeping is sufficient, it does not readily lend itself to the immediate use of data for querying and identifying patterns. Advancements in digital mapping and web-based environments, allow for an interactive application that combines the storage, input and analysis of operational data. This provides snow safety personnel the ability to data mine archived data and identify patterns in a visual environment. From 2009 to 2012, Snowbird Ski Patrol using GPS, collected shot locations, avalanche starting zones, transitions and runout locations, along with aspect, slope and elevation of starting zones for each of its control routes. A web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) application was built using the route data combined with imagery and terrain data to create an interactive atlas of the Snowbird Snow Safety operation. This application provides a method for control results to be directly entered into a database from any internet location increasing flexibility and usage of the application data. Once entered into the database, the results are immediately available for querying and viewing. Not only is this application an operational management tool and knowledge base, but it captures institutional knowledge that may otherwise be lost. In addition, explosives accountability and tracking are simple by-products of the data and reports that can be generated easily by the application.
Object ID: issw-2012-290-293.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): unknown
Keywords: ski patrolling, starting zones, avalanche run-out, geographic information systems (gis),
Page Number(s): 290-293
Subjects: risk management geographic information system (gis)
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