A New Approach to Public Avalanche Information in Colorado
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Transcript of A New Approach to Public Avalanche Information in Colorado
A New Approach to Public Avalanche Information in
Colorado
Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop October 4, 2013
GoalsTo provide:‒ information to all levels of recreational users‒ information to support professional operations‒ simple messages‒ clear descriptions‒ public avalanche safety products that are
consistent with avalanche safety education
Tier 1 A Simple Message
• Targets novice user• Single avalanche
danger rating– Signal word– Number– Color– Icon
• Travel advice from the avalanche danger scale
Tier 2 The Details
• Targets recreational users that have taken a Level 1 avalanche class
Tier 2The Details• Danger rating
by elevation band
• Danger rating for two day
• Summery of current conditions
• Twitter feed to update within forecast period
Avalanche Problem
• Elements of Danger Scale for each problem• Same elements each day• Graphics to help you see the relative threat • Images and Videos to illustrate each problem
Avalanche Problem
•Problem Name – Set of 8 used throughout North America•Problem Specific Advice
Persistent slabs can be triggered by light loads and weeks after the last storm. You can trigger them remotely and they often propagate across and beyond terrain features that would otherwise confine wind and storm slabs. Give yourself a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty.
Avalanche Problem
• Problem Icon• Problem Location• Likelihood of Trigger
• Size of Avalanche• Images and Videos• Description of Current Issue
Avalanche Problem
Lots of help on the page and throughout the site
Weather Forecast
• Three 12-hour periods
– Temperature
– Wind Speed
– Wind Direction
– Sky Cover
– Snow
Tier 2The Details
• Discussion of information used to create Avalanche Forecast
• Images and Videos
Tier 2The Details
• Five Day Trend– Three
previous days
– Two forecast days
Tier 3Data
• Observations from each zone
• Previous 5-days
• Links to full database
Product Schedule
• Weather Forecast– 6:00 AM and 1:00 PM
• Avalanche Forecast– 7:30 AM
• Forecast Discussion– Updated daily as
necessary
Tier 3 – Raw Data
A Few Words about Icons
• Looked at examples from natural hazard warning systems
• Simple illustrations• Limited use of text• Purposeful use of color• Often in profile
Icon Sets
• Consistent use of elements• Consistent perspective• Consistent use of color
Questions?