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Avalanches, detected before the road is reached.

An avalanche above a road gives seconds once it runs and days of warning in the snowpack before. Snow and weather stations, avalanche radar and cameras report to one record the avalanche service and the road authority act on, closing roads in time and opening them on evidence.

Industry

Public safety

Measurements

5

Sources cited

4

1. Public safety · Avalanches and mountain roads

   Seconds on the path, days in the snow

   Once an avalanche runs it reaches the road in seconds; the warning lives in the snowpack days before. Snow and weather on the slopes let the avalanche service rate the danger, and detection on each path closes the road the moment the snow comes down.

2. What is measured

   Snow, weather, detection and images

   Stations on representative slopes measure snow depth, new snow, wind and temperature. Radar or infrasound sensors cover known paths and detect avalanches within seconds, and cameras on the paths show what released and whether the road is clear. Every reading names its path and slope.

   Instruments

   Snow stations · Avalanche radar · Infrasound · Path cameras

3. The base node

   A node that closes the road

   The path node detects an avalanche from radar or infrasound, triggers road signals or barriers where agreed, captures images of the path and sends the event at once, signing everything for the record. Detections are kept even when the link is down and sent when it returns.

4. Radio and links

   Over the ridge, or up to the satellite

   Path sites link over a ridge relay to the road control room by microwave, independent of public networks. Remote paths and snow stations send events and data by satellite, and valley sites use cellular as a second path. Each path is supervised from the control room.

   Links

   Microwave · Satellite · Public cellular

5. How it works

   From a release to a red signal

   A slab releases above the road. The radar detects it, the node triggers the red signal through road control within seconds and sends the event with images over the ridge relay. Crews see the path, confirm the road is clear and reopen it on evidence.

6. From order to operation · Order

   Scope the paths and the closures

   The scope reads the avalanche cadastre, the paths that reach the road, the closure and control procedures and the warning service’s network. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the detection plan by path, the radio design, the integration with road control and a price per path and per service.

   Plan a deployment

7. From order to operation · Survey

   Survey in summer

   Crews survey in summer with the avalanche expert: radar sites that see each path, snow station sites on representative slopes, ridge relays and road sections. They check microwave paths and sky view, and plan helicopter or foot access for winter.

8. From order to operation · Permits

   Land, slopes and road control

   Landowners and protected area managers consent to sites. Automatic closures are agreed in writing with the road authority, which keeps the decision rules. Every consent is kept with the site. Detection data is shared with the avalanche warning service by agreement, and the warning service keeps its own role in setting danger levels.

9. From order to operation · Build

   Build for the snow

   Radars, cameras, snow stations, nodes and radios are built for cold, ice and snow load, tested together and enrolled with their identities. Detection zones and closure triggers come from the avalanche expert and the road authority. Configurations are tested on the bench before transport.

   Open the Station Builder

10. From order to operation · Install

    Install before the first snow

    Crews install in summer and autumn: radars and cameras on masts above the deepest snow, snow stations on representative slopes, relays on ridges. Every site is surveyed and photographed for the record before the first snow. Cables and masts are protected from snow creep and falling ice.

11. From order to operation · Commission

    Test with a controlled release

    Each node proves its identity. Snow stations are checked against manual measurements, detection is tested with the first controlled release of the season where allowed, and closure triggers are tested with the road control room. Each path goes live only when all checks pass.

12. From order to operation · Operate

    Close and open on evidence

    The avalanche service sees snow and weather on the slopes and sets danger levels. When a path releases, the road closes in seconds and crews see the images. Roads reopen when the paths are confirmed, and every event is kept on the record.

13. From order to operation · Maintain

    Service in summer, repair in winter

    Sites are serviced each summer: masts checked, sensors calibrated, batteries replaced. Winter faults are repaired when safe access allows. Every change is recorded, so the event record stays complete for the avalanche cadastre. Spares are stored in the valley so a failed part is swapped on the first safe day.

    Book field services

14. Data products

    For road control, forecasters and the public

    Road and rail control rooms receive events with images; avalanche warning services receive snow and weather from the slopes; the public and operators receive danger levels; avalanche experts and planners receive event records for the cadastre. Each product carries its source and time.

    See the data products

15. Evidence

    Every release on record

    Every event, closure, reopening and snow reading is signed and kept. Snow and weather follow WMO practice, danger follows the European avalanche standards, warnings follow the early warning checklist and travel in the Common Alerting Protocol, so every closure can be justified.

    Drawn against

    European Avalanche Warning Services standards · WMO-No. 8 · WMO early warning checklist

16. What you get

    Transport and logistics corridor sensing

    Road weather, rail condition, port and cold-chain sensing along corridors, with connectivity where coverage ends. Delivered as managed service and data licence, for transport agencies, rail and port operators, logistics firms. Scale: Corridor to network. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard.

    Talk to sales

17. Next step

    Plan avalanches and mountain roads with us

    Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for avalanches and mountain roads. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.

    Plan a deploymentOpen the Station BuilderOpen the Studio

01The place and its hazards

Where it runs, and what can go wrong.

Operating contextAvalanche warning services publish danger levels from snowpack and weather, and road, rail and resort operators close routes, control slopes and open them again. Detection systems on known paths tell operators when an avalanche has run, so roads close automatically and crews know whether a path has released.

Hazards

• Avalanches reaching roads, railways and buildings
• Closures that come too late or last too long
• Crews exposed during control work
• Stations buried, iced or destroyed
• Remote paths beyond any network

02What must be measured

What, where, how often, and under which rules.

Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below.

03The observation stack

From one base unit to a network.

The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol.

1. 01

   Base unit

   A path point: a detection radar and a camera with a snow station, read by an edge node that signs every event.

   Build a station →
2. 02

   Site

   A road section: points on each path, a relay on a ridge and a link to the road control room.

   Plan a site →
3. 03

   Fleet

   Every path of a region run as one fleet, with one record.

   Managed offers →
4. 04

   Network

   Avalanche services, road and rail authorities and resorts exchange snow data, events and danger through open standards.

   The open protocol →

• 01Surveillance radar (FMCW)
• 02Compact weather station
• 03Seismometer / strong-motion accelerometer
• 04PTZ camera
• 05Edge node (Wedge)
• 06Point-to-point microwave
• 07LEO flat-panel terminal
• 08Solar array
• 09Lattice tower

Radio and links

Point-to-point microwave

Path sites link over a ridge relay to the road control room, independent of public networks.

Radio and links

Satellite

Remote paths and snow stations beyond microwave reach send events and data by satellite.

Radio and links

Public cellular

Valley sites with coverage use cellular as a second path.

Edge computeThe path node detects an avalanche from radar or infrasound in seconds, triggers road signals or barriers where agreed, captures images of the path and sends the event at once.

PowerSites run on solar with batteries sized for short winter days and snow-covered panels, mounted above the deepest recorded snow.

04How it works

From the instrument to the product.

One observation’s path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks.

05From order to operation

Every step, from the first call to a running site.

The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance.

1. 01 Order

   Scope the paths and the closures

   The scope reads the avalanche cadastre, the paths that reach the road, the closure and control procedures and the warning service’s network. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the detection plan by path, the radio design, the integration with road control and a price per path and per service. 2

2. 02 Survey

   Survey in summer

   Crews survey in summer with the avalanche expert: radar sites that see each path, snow station sites on representative slopes, ridge relays and road sections. They check microwave paths and sky view, and plan helicopter or foot access for winter.

3. 03 Permits

   Land, slopes and road control

   Landowners and protected area managers consent to sites. Automatic closures are agreed in writing with the road authority, which keeps the decision rules. Every consent is kept with the site. Detection data is shared with the avalanche warning service by agreement, and the warning service keeps its own role in setting danger levels.

4. 04 Build

   Build for the snow

   Radars, cameras, snow stations, nodes and radios are built for cold, ice and snow load, tested together and enrolled with their identities. Detection zones and closure triggers come from the avalanche expert and the road authority. Configurations are tested on the bench before transport.

5. 05 Install

   Install before the first snow

   Crews install in summer and autumn: radars and cameras on masts above the deepest snow, snow stations on representative slopes, relays on ridges. Every site is surveyed and photographed for the record before the first snow. Cables and masts are protected from snow creep and falling ice.

6. 06 Commission

   Test with a controlled release

   Each node proves its identity. Snow stations are checked against manual measurements, detection is tested with the first controlled release of the season where allowed, and closure triggers are tested with the road control room. Each path goes live only when all checks pass.

7. 07 Operate

   Close and open on evidence

   The avalanche service sees snow and weather on the slopes and sets danger levels. When a path releases, the road closes in seconds and crews see the images. Roads reopen when the paths are confirmed, and every event is kept on the record. 24

8. 08 Maintain

   Service in summer, repair in winter

   Sites are serviced each summer: masts checked, sensors calibrated, batteries replaced. Winter faults are repaired when safe access allows. Every change is recorded, so the event record stays complete for the avalanche cadastre. Spares are stored in the valley so a failed part is swapped on the first safe day.

06Data products and integration

What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems.

Data products

• Avalanche events with imagesRoad and rail control rooms
• Snow and weather on the slopesAvalanche warning services
• Danger levelsThe public and operators
• Event records for the cadastreAvalanche experts and planners

Integration

• Road controlEvents trigger signals or barriers through the road control system, under its rules.
• Avalanche warning serviceSnow and weather data are delivered through OGC SensorThings.
• Public warningsDanger levels are published by the service in its own formats and the Common Alerting Protocol.

Exchanged through Common Alerting Protocol, OGC SensorThings API, WMO WIS 2.0.

07Questions buyers ask

Before you scope it.

Does it close the road automatically?

Where the road authority agrees, through its control system and rules.

Who sets the danger level?

The avalanche warning service.

Will stations be buried?

They are mounted above the deepest recorded snow.

Can control work be monitored?

Yes. Controlled releases are detected and recorded like natural ones.

08Resources

The sources behind this page.

Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does.

1. 1Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8)World Meteorological Organization
2. 2European Avalanche Danger Scale and standardsEuropean Avalanche Warning Services
3. 3Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems: A ChecklistWorld Meteorological Organization · 2018
4. 4Common Alerting Protocol Version 1.2OASIS

09Related

Use cases and solutions.

10Public safety: specialized fields

Other fields of this industry.

Bring us the site.

Plan a deployment, configure a station, model it in the Studio or talk to sales. The form names who receives your details.