PodsystemM2M and Wyssen Deploy Avalanche Detection to Make Skiing Safer

The ski season will soon be coming to a close and winter sports fans are taking to the slopes to make the most of what remains of the snow. Behind the scenes, Internet of Things (IoT) technology is helping to make the season safer. Wyssen, a Swiss company based at the foot of the Alps that develops avalanche control solutions, has recently announced that it is integrating into its devices a resilient IoT connectivity solution from PodsystemM2M, an IoT connectivity developer.

Wyssen’s solution has been designed to detect and prevent avalanches using various monitoring systems (radars, infrasound sensors, geophones) and artificial triggering techniques with explosive charges. Wyssen designs and manufactures avalanche towers, which are solar powered and fitted with a deployment box holding the battery, electronics and the charges. An algorithm and sensors are used to provide an early warning of increasing avalanche activity in a given area based on detection of infrasound emissions. All the data monitored by the towers, including feedback from weather stations, results from radar installations, sensors, and footage from the cameras that is sent to a central control centre where it can be analyzed. Should action be required, an explosive charge can be detonated once it is confirmed no humans are in the danger area.

Due to the remote nature of the towers and the need for resilient, mission critical connectivity, Wyssen has decided to integrate multi-network SIM cards into its devices. The PodsystemM2M solution has been designed with these requirements in mind, including global connectivity across multiple networks on one SIM card, connection to the best signal on device start-up and the ability to automatically swap to a back-up network if signal is lost, giving the most reliable and flexible coverage for Wyssen´s devices wherever they may be situated. 

“Wyssen´s solution is an excellent example of how the IoT and Big Data can help improve our lives,” said Charles Towers-Clark, Managing Director, Podsystem. “The combination of Wyssen’s state-of-the-art technology with PodsystemM2M’s connectivity which has been specially designed for remote and mission critical IoT applications, will result in a highly resilient solution that will help to save lives on the slopes.”