Projects

Utah Avalanche Center

Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) provides critical avalanche and mountain weather information to help Utah’s backcountry users make life-and-death decisions.  Dharmatech is building a Digital Public Safety Avalanche Warning System that allows UAC forecasters to share critical statewide avalanche safety information with the public, media outlets, and scientific institutions in a quick and accurate way.

Background
When UAC first approached Dharmatech in the fall of 2007, their technology was on life support.  Their website was hosted on an old server, running outdated software, with minimal support.  The one person who could update the site was busy with a full-time job elsewhere. The process of creating an advisory was a time-consuming, multi-step process that had to be done at the National Weather Service office.  The piecemeal system that UAC used was difficult to learn, unpredictable, and a frequent source of frustration.  For the forecasters, this meant too much time in front of a computer and not enough time in the field. 

Activities and Accomplishments to Date – Phases I and II
Dharmatech and UAC staff met throughout 2008 to discuss UAC’s vision and needs and to articulate project goals and strategies.  Using the Drupal platform, we deployed a prototype for UAC in the fall of 2008 to demonstrate that such an infrastructure could be built and withstand consistent public demand.  The system allows forecasters to write and publish an advisory in a matter of minutes, in a one-step process that they can complete from any computer with an Internet connection.  Forecasters can update the site with critical information at any time and from any location.  The updated information is immediately available to the public and media outlets.  UAC estimates that the new system is at least twice as fast as their old system.

Customized features of the system include a content management system, a Forecast Module with a built-in “Avalanche Danger Rose” generator (a visual representation of the backcountry avalanche danger, taking into account slope aspect and elevation – see http://utahavalanchecenter.org/advisory/slc) and an automatically updated “Avalanche Danger Map” (a statewide map that summarizes the avalanche dangers for each region), and an RSS Feed to inform the public of the latest weather and avalanche information.  Dharmatech also created a mobile version of the website and mobile advisories currently available for the iPhone and iTouch.

2009–2010 Plan – Phase III
The goal of phase III is to transform the prototype into a robust public safety information system with new features that will allow forecasters to share critical statewide avalanche safety information with the public and media outlets in a quick and accurate way.

During phase III, Dharmatech will provide the technology infrastructure (server environment, website, avalanche advisories input, and mobile new media) that enables UAC to issue avalanche warnings and provide daily snow stability and mountain weather forecasts more quickly and accurately.  Dharmatech will refine, test, and maintain the existing system, architect new functionality, improve forecaster workflow, upgrade the software and increase performance, and improve security.  In addition, Dharmatech assist UAC in migrating content from the old server to the new system, implement additional features, and train UAC’s staff.  Finally, both organizations will document the system’s functions and make the software freely available to other avalanche centers world-wide at http://drupal.org/project/forecast.

Impact to UAC
The new system is stable on the backend and straightforward to use on the front end, which, over the long-term, will save UAC significant staff time, money, and frustration.  The system provides a solid foundation upon which advanced technologies can be added in the future, as UAC’s needs evolve.  Specifically, the system helps UAC and Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC's fundraising arm) to:

• More effectively share snow and avalanche safety information with the public and media outlets.
• Produce and publish avalanche advisories in a streamlined manner.
• Reach a larger, more mobile audience.
• Involve the public in the creation of avalanche bulletins.
• Produce more accurate forecasts.
• Produce better avalanche products.
• Reduce their business risk by having a test site for training and demonstration purposes.
• Reduce business risk by having in place a long-term plan for maintenance and trouble-shooting.
• Improve staff communication through use of uniform e-mail addresses, shared calendar, etc.
• Streamline the production of their annual report by providing easy-to-interpret site statistics.
• More effectively utilize their website to raise funds.
• Create a more successful fundraising program as a result of having a centralized, systematic way to manage and communicate with donors.
• Have access to a system (one that cannot be purchased “off the shelf”) that is specifically designed to execute their program work and accomplish their missions.

"The folks at Dharmatech really rock! 

Visit the Utah Avalanche Center.