Automated dock-based UAV systems for geohazard monitoring in mountainous terrain
- 1Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
- 2Department of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- 3Remote Vision, Switzerland
Abstract
This study presents the first systematic field evaluation of dock-based UAV (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle) systems for geohazard monitoring in mountainous terrain. We tested their potential across three different environments: (1) a fast-moving glacier icefall (Supphellebreen, Norway), (2) an unstable rock slope (Skjøld, Norway), and (3) a post-failure landscape resulting from a catastrophic rock-ice avalanche (Blatten, Switzerland). Effective hazard management requires timely detection of displacement patterns and terrain change. To address these issues, we introduce an automated workflow integrating multitemporal UAV dock data acquisition with an end-to-end processing pipeline for displacement field generation and change detection. The results show that this workflow has the potential to provide data at centimetre-level accuracy before, during, and after hazard events, supporting both precautionary risk assessments and timely decision-making in critical phases of potential hazard evolution. Wider adoption will depend on supportive regulatory frameworks, reliable power and communication infrastructure, and sufficient expertise to ensure effective operation, maintenance, data interpretation and risk management. Overall, dock-based UAV systems represent a significant technological advancement in efficient geohazard monitoring, facilitating rapid response in critical situations, thereby contributing to increased resilience of communities living in vulnerable mountain environments.
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BibTeX
@article{maschler2026automated,
title = {{Automated dock-based UAV systems for geohazard monitoring in mountainous terrain}},
author = {Alexander Maschler and Sarah Langes and Lukas Schild and Thomas Scheiber and Paula Snook and Jacob C. Yde and Harald Zandler and Ueli Sager},
journal = {Natural hazards and earth system sciences},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.5194/nhess-26-3107-2026},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-3107-2026},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Automated dock-based UAV systems for geohazard monitoring in mountainous terrain
AU - Alexander Maschler
AU - Sarah Langes
AU - Lukas Schild
AU - Thomas Scheiber
AU - Paula Snook
AU - Jacob C. Yde
AU - Harald Zandler
AU - Ueli Sager
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/06
JO - Natural hazards and earth system sciences
DO - 10.5194/nhess-26-3107-2026
UR - https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-3107-2026
AB - This study presents the first systematic field evaluation of dock-based UAV (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle) systems for geohazard monitoring in mountainous terrain. We tested their potential across three different environments: (1) a fast-moving glacier icefall (Supphellebreen, Norway), (2) an unstable rock slope (Skjøld, Norway), and (3) a post-failure landscape resulting from a catastrophic rock-ice avalanche (Blatten, Switzerland). Effective hazard management requires timely detection of displacement patterns and terrain change. To address these issues, we introduce an automated workflow integrating multitemporal UAV dock data acquisition with an end-to-end processing pipeline for displacement field generation and change detection. The results show that this workflow has the potential to provide data at centimetre-level accuracy before, during, and after hazard events, supporting both precautionary risk assessments and timely decision-making in critical phases of potential hazard evolution. Wider adoption will depend on supportive regulatory frameworks, reliable power and communication infrastructure, and sufficient expertise to ensure effective operation, maintenance, data interpretation and risk management. Overall, dock-based UAV systems represent a significant technological advancement in efficient geohazard monitoring, facilitating rapid response in critical situations, thereby contributing to increased resilience of communities living in vulnerable mountain environments.
SN - 1561-8633
SN - 1684-9981
ER -