GEOSFAIR (Geohazard Survey from Air)
The GEOSFAIR project aims to explore the use of instrumented drones to make faster and more accurate assessments of landslide hazards on roads.
The project is organised according to the Research Council of Norway's guidelines for innovation projects in the public sector and is led by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in collaboration with NGI and SINTEF.
Drones can access difficult terrain and can transport light instruments such as small cameras, radars, and laser scanners. Information collected by these instruments will help landslide specialists make decisions for inaccessible areas.
Contact:
GEOSFAIR
About the project
Natural hazard management is a field with limited access to materials that need to be studied. The source areas are often located in inaccessible terrain, and avalanche hazards are often at their peak during adverse weather conditions and periods of darkness with poor visibility.
Information about snow, rock boulders, soil, and bodies of water is often lacking. Properties such as avalanche velocities, run out distances, and their potential for damage are therefore based on extremely limited data.
Avalanches and other natural hazards bring significant costs, risks, and uncertainties for road use. We aim to be more precise in both the design of preventive measures and in the management of geohazard-prone roads. We want to improve safety, accessibility (uptime), and predictability.
Drones can often replace expensive and polluting use of helicopters, with access and data collection in areas and conditions where helicopters are unsuitable.
They can also be programmed to conduct repeated surveys of hazardous areas. Using artificial intelligence, data from such automated inspection rounds can provide early warnings of geohazards, indicating areas for more detailed follow-up.
Although the project is primarily focused on snow avalanches, the goal is to apply the developed methods to all geohazards.
Collaboration with suppliers and contractors is a key success factor, with invitations to participate in pilot projects and field demonstrations throughout the project.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration will focus on the needs of all road owners, helping to guide technology development to meet short and long-term requirements. Several sections within the Norwegian Public Roads Administration will participate in the project's investigations, field trials, pilot projects, and reporting.