Our Snow Height Datasets
Capabilities – Verification – Comparison
Here we demonstrate our snow height solution for the hydropower industry using Ultracam data from the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF).
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Introduction
Changes in the magnitude and timing of snowmelt can significantly alter downstream inflow to hydropower dams. Winter snow accumulation as well as spring snowmelt affect streamflow and water availability for the rest of the year. Below you will find a web app that incorporates data from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Switzerland.
The visualisations on this page have been created from data that is acquired by satellites and combined with our own unique machine learning algorithms. The results of this data amalgamation have been compared with SLF’s highly accurate airborne sensors data to verify Wegaw’s accuracy.
We can also incorporate these near real-time insights with any local data so that we can optimise the data that you’re looking at to provide the most accurate information possible.
Since its’ beginnings in 1931, the Davos based WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF has become the world’s most knowledgeable interdisciplinary research and service centre on snow, the atmosphere, natural hazards, permafrost and mountain ecological systems.
Since its’ beginnings in 1931, the Davos based WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF has become the world’s most knowledgable interdisciplinary research and service centre on snow, the atmosphere, natural hazards, permafrost and mountain ecological systems.
Snow Height – Interactive Map App
This app demonstrates how similar Wegaw’s satellite datasets are when directly compared with those from a snow height map created using an airborne UltraCam by the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF).
The SLF’s UltraCam method produces very high-quality data, and Wegaw’s methodology delivers very similar values. Commercially however, Wegaw’s solution is much more cost-effective for regular monitoring in comparison to the much more expensive drone or other airborne systems used for such one-off flights.
- By using the check boxes on the left-hand side to turn the maps on and off, you can see that the SLF map can be placed over the Wegaw map to demonstrate the differences in snow height identified by both methods.
- To see a comparison of snow height values from an in-situ snow station, simply hover over the yellow dot which shows the SLF Ultracam data and the Wegaw satellite data at that point.
With the help of this map application, one can directly compare our snow height product with that of the SLF’s highly accurate on the ground snow measurement system (IMIS) as well as the SLF’s Ultracam snow height sensor. In this instance, the most accurate measurement is of the IMIS snow height measurement at 291cm. When directly compared, the SLF Ultracam provided a snow height of 310cm (+19cm) whereas the Wegaw product produced a more conservative result at 283cm (-8cm).
In this assessment therefore, one can conclude that our solution demonstrates a highly accurate measurement at a lower cost when compared with traditionally utilised drone flights or regularly maintained in-situ ground stations.
Please wait a moment whilst our data loads…
Snow Height – Interactive Map App
This app demonstrates how similar Wegaw’s satellite datasets are when directly compared with those from a snow height map created using an airborne UltraCam by the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF).
The SLF’s UltraCam method produces very high-quality data, and Wegaw’s methodology delivers very similar values. Commercially however, Wegaw’s solution is much more cost-effective for regular monitoring in comparison to the much more expensive drone system used by the SLF for these one-off flights.
- By using the check boxes on the left-hand side to turn the maps on and off, you can see that the SLF map can be placed over the Wegaw map to demonstrate the differences in snow height identified by both methods.
- To see a comparison of snow height values from an in-situ snow station, simply hover over the yellow dot which shows the SLF Ultracam data and the Wegaw satellite data at that point.
Please wait a moment whilst our data loads…
With the help of this map application, one can directly compare our snow height product with that of the SLF’s highly accurate on the ground snow measurement system (IMIS) as well as the SLF’s Ultracam snow height drone. In this instance, the most accurate measurement is of the IMIS snow height measurement at 291cm. When directly compared, the SLF Ultracam provided a snow height of 310cm (+19cm) whereas the Wegaw product produced a more conservative result at 283cm (-8cm).
In this assessment therefore, one can conclude that our solution demonstrates a highly accurate measurement at a lower cost when compared with traditionally utilised drone flights or regularly maintained in-situ ground stations.
Video – How to use our Snow Height Application
Here our Spatial Data Scientist, Niamh French, takes you through exactly what you’re looking at in this map and how you can interact with it and manipulate it to see different datasets.
Download our Snow Height Product Quality Assessment
In this report, you’ll find further description as to the functionality and evaluation of the performance of the Wegaw heterogeneous snow height solution in comparison with historical datasets provided by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. The results and graphs shown within this report explore a broad and comprehensive assessment of historical snowpack datasets that were captured between 2017 and 2022, and showcase our R&D expertise.
Figure 6
Demonstrating 1m resolution accuracy vs 100m resolution accuracy
Figure 3
Demonstrating point validation comparison of data between in-situ stations vs our solution which is based on satellite imagery
Please complete the form in order to gain access to our technical report.
Download our Snow Height Product Quality Assessment
Figure 6
Demonstrating 1m resolution accuracy vs 100m resolution accuracy
Figure 3
Demonstrating point validation comparison of data between in-situ stations vs our solution which is based on satellite imagery
Please complete the form in order to gain access to our technical report.
Want to know more? Have some questions?
Please complete the form to start a conversation with our team.
Want to know more? Have some questions?
Please complete the form to start a conversation with our team.