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This is what I've put my soul into lately. The idea is to use radar imagery to find traces after avalanches. I don't know what more to tell you, but I would lo

This is what I've put my soul into lately. The idea is to use radar imagery to find traces after avalanches. I don't know what more to tell you, but I would love any feedback!

gorbypark 8y ago
Awesome! I'm a huge mapping and avalanche nerd, too. I didn't have much time to read through the sources of data you are using, but would it be possible/feasible to expand the covered area to places other than Norway? -edit- Sorry, I didn't see the part at the top about requesting new coverage areas!
- widforss 8y ago
  Yes! The only thing that are needed to add another country is an elevation model, and there are global ones one can use if needed. The satellite data is already there for the whole globe. :) I have not tried to run an instance with multiple elevation models though. It is possible the code need some modification to determine what area it should search for data in, but it shouldn't be too hard. I'm actually planning to add Sweden rather soon (I'm from Sweden myself), but for that I will just merge the files from Norway's and Sweden's national geographical surveys into one file and use in the code.
anamexis 8y ago
This looks very cool. Speaking as someone who is not in to winter sports or mountaineering, what is this useful for? Identifying areas with high avalanche risk?
- widforss 8y ago
  It's mainly useful for avalanche forecasters. Today, they mostly go out in the field, dig in the snow and look for old avalanches. While this methodology is really good, it doesn't really scale, and the risk of missing something important exists. With this as a tool, I hope it will become easier to get an idea of the circumstances of a larger area, even where it is unfeasible to have personnel. I also want to get data out of this to be able to make statistical conclusions regarding when and where avalanches are triggered, with regard to weather, time of year and so on. Some avalanche forecasting services: https://avalanche.org/ https://avalanche.org/ https://www.avalanche.ca/map https://www.avalanche.ca/map http://www.avalanches.org/ http://www.avalanches.org/ http://www.varsom.no/ http://www.varsom.no/ http://www.lavinprognoser.se/ http://www.lavinprognoser.se/
  - michaericalribo 8y ago
    What are avalanche forecasts used for? And who uses them?
    - widforss 8y ago
      They are used by people and infrastructure that are exposed to avalanche terrain. This usually involves alpine touring or snowmobiling, but in certain areas, e.g. Norway, a lot of roads and other infrastructure has been built right below dangerous slopes. They are used to evaluate what risks and consequences that are involved in certain route choices. Should you choose to go up on a north or south facing slope today? Do we need to fire these gas cannons and trigger an avalanche today to avoid having an avalanche reach the rail tracks tomorrow? Here is an epic photo from last year, shot in the northern part of my county, illustrating what happens when you don't take these factors into consideration. https://twitter.com/MacahanZeb/status/847504439220948993 https://twitter.com/MacahanZeb/status/847504439220948993
      - michaericalribo 8y ago
        Hey thanks! This is fascinating to hear, and gives me a new appreciation for never having to worry about avalanches where I live...
deleted 8y ago
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This is what I've put my soul into lately. The idea is to use radar imagery to find traces after avalanches. I don't know what more to tell you, but I would love any feedback!

gorbypark 8y ago

Awesome! I'm a huge mapping and avalanche nerd, too. I didn't have much time to read through the sources of data you are using, but would it be possible/feasible to expand the covered area to places other than Norway? -edit- Sorry, I didn't see the part at the top about requesting new coverage areas!

widforss 8y ago
Yes! The only thing that are needed to add another country is an elevation model, and there are global ones one can use if needed. The satellite data is already there for the whole globe. :) I have not tried to run an instance with multiple elevation models though. It is possible the code need some modification to determine what area it should search for data in, but it shouldn't be too hard. I'm actually planning to add Sweden rather soon (I'm from Sweden myself), but for that I will just merge the files from Norway's and Sweden's national geographical surveys into one file and use in the code.

anamexis 8y ago

This looks very cool. Speaking as someone who is not in to winter sports or mountaineering, what is this useful for? Identifying areas with high avalanche risk?

widforss 8y ago
It's mainly useful for avalanche forecasters. Today, they mostly go out in the field, dig in the snow and look for old avalanches. While this methodology is really good, it doesn't really scale, and the risk of missing something important exists. With this as a tool, I hope it will become easier to get an idea of the circumstances of a larger area, even where it is unfeasible to have personnel. I also want to get data out of this to be able to make statistical conclusions regarding when and where avalanches are triggered, with regard to weather, time of year and so on. Some avalanche forecasting services: https://avalanche.org/ https://avalanche.org/ https://www.avalanche.ca/map https://www.avalanche.ca/map http://www.avalanches.org/ http://www.avalanches.org/ http://www.varsom.no/ http://www.varsom.no/ http://www.lavinprognoser.se/ http://www.lavinprognoser.se/
- michaericalribo 8y ago
  What are avalanche forecasts used for? And who uses them?
  - widforss 8y ago
    They are used by people and infrastructure that are exposed to avalanche terrain. This usually involves alpine touring or snowmobiling, but in certain areas, e.g. Norway, a lot of roads and other infrastructure has been built right below dangerous slopes. They are used to evaluate what risks and consequences that are involved in certain route choices. Should you choose to go up on a north or south facing slope today? Do we need to fire these gas cannons and trigger an avalanche today to avoid having an avalanche reach the rail tracks tomorrow? Here is an epic photo from last year, shot in the northern part of my county, illustrating what happens when you don't take these factors into consideration. https://twitter.com/MacahanZeb/status/847504439220948993 https://twitter.com/MacahanZeb/status/847504439220948993
    - michaericalribo 8y ago
      Hey thanks! This is fascinating to hear, and gives me a new appreciation for never having to worry about avalanches where I live...

deleted 8y ago

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