GPS World, February 2017

WATCH MARKET MAPPING 2 Mapping Avalanches for Safety I n 2014 an avalanche injured A researcher prepares to use lidar to scan snow depth at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado Esris ArticDEM Provides Climate Change Insight FEBRUARY 2017 WWW GPSWORLD COM GPS WORLD 59 Credit J Deems NSIDC CIRES CU E sri has released new Arctic elevation data through its ArcticDEM project ArcticDEM provides insight into effects of climate change and enables communities to take early action Coupled with the accessibility of Esris online platform ArcticDEM can meet the need for highquality elevation data in remote locations and provide accurate measurement of topographic change New elevation models on ArcticDem Explorer Esris public online portal show stunning surface detail throughout the Arctic region including Baffin Island Svalbard Islands and Iceland In many locations the models are created images collected on multiple dates thus showing landscape changes over time including the rate at which glaciers are receding Since the Arctic region is uniquely challenged by the effects of climate change including melting ice the elevation data provides a resource for enabling better planning and adaptation Esri said T h e new d e t a i l e d surfaces which provide a much better picture of how the Arctic region is rapidly changing allow more effective risk management for Arctic communities For instance elevation models can help local communities monitor coastal erosion in order to identify important structures at high risk of storm damage The ArcticDEM project is a collaboration between government agencies the Polar Geospatial Center and Esri to achieve goals set by a 2015 executive order by U S President Barack Obama calling for enhanced coordination of national efforts in the Arctic to reverse the trend of climate change two Colorado avalanche control workers They had been using an avalauncher compressed gas cannon to shoot charges into slopes that posed a serious avalanche risk to motorists below but the charge exploded too early in the barrel of the launcher The accident prompted a reevaluation of the Colorado Department of Transportations CDOT avalanche control techniques Now transportation officials have brought in researchers who are applying lidar to safely map snow depth in steep terrain making avalanche control safer and more efficient for safety teams Jeffrey Deems a researcher with the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder and his colleagues developed the new application for lidar systems that map snow depth at high resolution The researchers craft detailed maps of the slopes in summer without snow and then compare them to snow covered slopes months later The researchers have been testing the technique at Colorados Arapahoe Basin Ski Area where they help snow safety teams target explosives placements The snow depth change maps help the safety teams look for old and new snow accumulation patterns The data help the safety team refine their explosives targeting plans and guide them when they need to decide whether to shoot explosives into certain areas Also explosives delivery tram lines for a ski area expansion are being planned and refined with the aid of the lidar derived snow depth maps allowing more efficient and effective tram network design The lidar snow depth maps revealed less obvious accumulation spots and supported a redesign of the planned tram line network