Avasense — Autonomous Snowpack Monitoring

For avalanche services, ski resorts and mountain research

Autonomous snowpack monitoring for avalanche professionals

Avasense measures snow height and multilayer snowpack temperatures on representative mountain slopes, then remotely transmits the data to avalanche services throughout the winter season.

Discuss pilot deployment View sample data

Snow height 0-7 m

Temperature profile 10+ sensors

Telemetry LoRa + Gateway

Season Oct-May

Continuous field observations Snow height and snowpack temperature data from avalanche-prone terrain.

Designed for winter operation Autonomous power, sleep mode, protected enclosure and remote telemetry.

Decision-support data The system supports expert assessment; it does not replace official avalanche forecasting.

Introduction

Avasense is designed for continuous monitoring of snow cover conditions in mountainous terrain. The system collects factual field observations from representative slopes and remotely transmits them to avalanche professionals for analysis.

Snow height observations show snowfall intensity, storm accumulation and the spatial distribution of snow caused by wind transport. Temperature data from snowpack layers make it possible to track temperature gradients, active metamorphism processes and the formation of weak layers such as depth hoar. In spring, the same observations help identify the onset of wet-snow avalanche conditions.

Avasense provides monitoring data for avalanche services. Final avalanche danger assessment, operational decisions and public bulletins remain the responsibility of qualified professionals.

SNOW HEIGHT TEMP PROFILE LoRa GATEWAY

Key features

Snow height monitoring with a UART-compatible laser rangefinder.
Multilayer snowpack temperature profiling with 10 DS18B20 sensors mounted on a vertical mast.
Autonomous winter operation in high-altitude conditions from October to May.
Energy-efficient architecture with night sleep mode, battery power and solar recharging.
LoRa-based telemetry from remote field nodes to an Internet-connected gateway.
Field-tested operation at altitudes above 2000 m and snow depths up to 6-7 m.
Structured data pipeline for dashboards, API integration, research and future decision-support models.

Snow height Layer sensors LoRa telemetry Solar + battery

Configuration and principle of operation

Device configuration

Field node components:
- 10 × DS18B20 temperature sensors, spaced 20 cm apart on a vertically installed mast
- 1 × internal temperature sensor in the electronics enclosure
- UART-compatible laser rangefinder for snow height measurement
- photosensor for day/night mode and energy optimization
- microcontroller based on ATmega328P, ARM or ESP32
- LoRa RFM95/SX1262 radio module for long-range low-power telemetry
- LiPo/LiFePO4 battery and solar panel for autonomous operation
- IP67 electronics enclosure
- central gateway based on OpenWRT + LoRa, connected to the Internet
- optional sensors can be added depending on the project requirements

Principle of operation:
Remote field nodes are installed on representative mountain slopes with similar aspect, elevation and slope angle to the monitored avalanche terrain. Each node measures snow height, snowpack temperatures, device status and optional environmental parameters.

Measurement intervals are configured on the central gateway. The gateway polls field nodes on schedule, aggregates telemetry packets and forwards the data over the Internet to the avalanche service, database server or dashboard.

The battery is placed near ground level where the average winter temperature is close to 0°C, reducing the risk of freezing and improving charging reliability. The photosensor enables night sleep mode to reduce energy consumption.

The system has been field-tested for more than 5 winter seasons at ski resorts and high-altitude sites above 2000 m, including locations where snow depth reaches 6-7 m. Data are used as factual observations for avalanche bulletins and operational risk assessment.

Field validation and data quality

Avasense is based on field experience from winter deployments that started with early prototypes in 2015. The system is intended for long-season monitoring in high-altitude conditions where manual observations are limited by weather, terrain access and operational safety.

For technical evaluation and pilot projects, the most important proof points are:
- deployment photos and installation scheme
- sample raw telemetry and dashboard screenshots
- comparison with manual snow observations when available
- uptime, packet delivery and maintenance notes for each winter season
- sensor calibration and data quality control procedures

Detailed field records, data samples and reliability statistics can be provided to qualified customers during technical discussions.

First prototypes 2015

Field testing 5+ winters

Altitude 2000+ m

Observed snow depth 6-7 m

Field operation and reliability

Reliable mountain sensing depends not only on electronics, but also on site selection, antenna visibility, snow accumulation, solar exposure and maintenance access. These factors are assessed before deployment.

Operational design priorities:
- representative placement by aspect, elevation and slope angle
- protected electronics enclosure and mechanically simple vertical mast
- battery placement near ground level to reduce freezing risk
- LoRa link planning between field nodes and gateway
- configurable measurement schedule and low-power sleep mode
- remote monitoring of telemetry quality and device status
- seasonal installation, calibration, inspection and post-season maintenance

SOLAR BATTERY DIAGNOSTICS SURVEY

Further development

Scaling the monitoring network to other ski resorts, avalanche services and high-mountain regions.
Development of validated decision-support models based on long-term snowpack observations, weather data and expert avalanche assessments.
Exploration of LLM-based tools for summarizing monitoring data, drafting operational reports and retrieving historical analogues, subject to expert validation.
Open API and structured data export for researchers, services and integration partners.

Sites Data Models API Review

Custom manufacturing and commercial proposal

The Avasense.tech team offers custom design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of snowpack monitoring systems for avalanche services, ski resorts and research centers.

Typical pilot workflow:
1. Technical consultation and site requirements.
2. Selection of representative slopes and gateway locations.
3. Configuration of field nodes, sensors, power and LoRa network.
4. Manufacturing, calibration and field commissioning.
5. Data hosting, dashboard setup and API integration on request.
6. Seasonal support, maintenance notes and end-of-season technical review.

Available services: prototypes for testing, small-series production with quality control, individual sensor placement, LoRa gateway deployment and data pipeline integration. Contact us to discuss a pilot deployment or request technical materials.

Consult Survey Config Install Dashboard / API Review

Contact

For pilot deployments, custom manufacturing, technical datasheets or sample data access, contact us:

When requesting a proposal, please include your organization, region, altitude range, number of monitoring points, available connectivity and target deployment season.

Email: info@avasense.tech Telegram: https://t.me/avasense

REQUEST DATASHEET Region / altitude Monitoring points Connectivity / season

Open publication

First prototypes of the Avasense autonomous snowpack monitoring system were deployed and field-tested in 2015.

This public description is published as prior art disclosure. Commercial manufacturing, deployment, support and custom engineering are provided by the Avasense.tech team.

© 2015–2026 Avasense.tech. All rights reserved.

PRIOR ART 2015 Deployment and support by Avasense.tech