Avalanche GIS

[Maine-iac]

I found this article while doing research for my own project. It is about predicting avalanches on Mt. Hood's South Side.

Mt. Hood GIS

 

For a final project for one of my classes I am making a similar map, encompassing the entire mountain, but I am not using on the fly weather information. I hope to show areas of risk based on slope and aspect (relating to the wind) and possibly one other feature (any ideas?). Then overlay the climbing routes onto the map to attach a human element to the project.

I would love any feedback on this idea, and if the finished product looks half-way presentable maybe i'll post it.

 

 

[ryland_moore]

I think it would be cool to put where recorded avalanches have occurred as a layer, if it is even possible - it would depend on the data available. I say post it anyway.

[Snowman_Jim]

If aspect relating to solar radiation is different for your purposes that aspect relating to wind that might be your third feature. Many avalanches, and most fatalities, on Mt Hood have been in May and early June and this is a significant contributing factor.

 

The effects of incoming radiation will also depend on slope angle, I don't how complicated you want to get though.

Edited May 21, 2009 by Snowman_Jim

[Maine-iac]

Here is my final project.

Avalanche Map

 

*don't die using this map.

[JBo6]

Have you been able to correlate your project with known avy chutes? That looks like a sweet project.

[Maine-iac]

It was hard finding avalanche data for Mt. Hood. Unless somebody is caught in a slide they tend to go unreported. I have seen crowns to lookers left of Crater Rock, which is identified on my map as an area of High risk, so something must be right!

[JBo6]

Awesome. I had briefly looked at it before, and was thrown by the change in color of glaciers in Hood River County, and assumed you went a lot further into tree line than was true. GIS is on the list of things to learn, but is a PITA to schedule for at my school. Are you a GIS major, or were you able to figure this out from a couple of quarters of classes?

[Maine-iac]

I am a geography major and have now taken 4 GIS oriented classes. The stuff is fairly easy to figure out once you have an understanding of what you actually want to do. I probably spend the most time trying to figure out how to get the software to do the things that I want it to do e.g selecting out slopes or aspects.