Introduction
Glaciers are among the most visible indicators of climate change in the Alps, and for Grisons - home to glaciers such as the Morteratsch or Silvretta - these changes are of major interest. Continuous, on-site monitoring is essential for quantifying glacier mass balance - both accumulation (snow buildup) and ablation (ice melt). The Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) at ETH Zurich operates a network of autonomous cameras across Swiss glaciers, photographing stakes at regular intervals to monitor glacier mass balance remotely. This contributes to real-time data collection for the GLAMOS (Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland) network.
As part of a bachelor's thesis by Noel Frey at FH Graubünden, in cooperation with VAW at ETH Zurich, a custom sensing system for this application was designed, built and tested. The project is ongoing.
Implementation
The system is a modular, open and low-cost autonomous camera platform designed for operation in harsh environments and for long-term maintainability. It is assembled from off-the-shelf components, with material costs well below CHF 500 - significantly less than comparable commercial solutions.
Its primary sensor is a camera, which can be exchanged depending on the requirements (e.g. different resolution, lens, global shutter or thermal imaging). In addition, almost any auxiliary sensor (e.g. temperature, humidity, wind, motion, GPS) can be attached through standard interfaces.
A small solar panel and battery provide energy autonomy. By default, data acquisition follows a programmable, adaptive timer that adjusts to the current battery charge. The system can also be configured to record on an external trigger signal (e.g. from a motion sensor).
Communication is established via the mobile network, with Wi-Fi and Ethernet available as alternative interfaces. Images, sensor measurements and diagnostic data are transmitted to a remote server for analysis. Camera settings like capture interval or camera name can be changed remotely, and firmware updates can be issued over the air. A web interface is also provided for monitoring and control.
Conclusion
Reliability has been validated in long-term outdoor trials, with around ten systems deployed over a period of more than two years. The cameras have operated reliably in all weather conditions — buried in snow, in heavy rain — and in one case even survived an avalanche strike and continued transmitting.
A growing network of these sensors is currently in operation by GLAMOS on Swiss glaciers, including the Silvretta, Pers, Rhone, Findelen, Plaine Morte, Gries and Grosser Aletsch.
Further work
Beyond glaciology, the modular architecture is suited for a range of alpine and natural hazard monitoring tasks. A second-generation sensor is currently in development, incorporating lessons learned from the first deployment. A follow-up pilot project is also in preparation, targeting natural hazard monitoring applications.
By developing robust, low-cost and open sensing infrastructure available to researchers and practitioners, we aim to strengthen the long-term observational basis for understanding our environment and managing natural hazards - in the Grisons and worldwide.