Monitoring large scale environments is a crucial task for managing remote alpine environments, especially for hazardous events such as avalanches. One key information for avalanche risk forecast is imagery of released avalanches. As these happen in remote and potentially dangerous locations this data is difficult to obtain. Fixed-wing vehicles, due to their long range and travel speeds are a promising platform to gather aerial imagery to map avalanche activities. However, operating such vehicles in mountainous terrain remains a challenge due to the complex topography, regulations, and uncertain environment. In this work, we present a system that is capable of safely navigating and mapping an avalanche using a fixed-wing aerial system and discuss the challenges arising when executing such a mission. We show in our field experiments that we can effectively navigate in steep terrain environments while maximizing the map quality. We expect our work to enable more autonomous operations of fixed-wing vehicles in alpine environments to maximize the quality of the data gathered.

翻译：监测大规模环境是管理偏远高山区域的关键任务，尤其针对雪崩等危险事件。雪崩风险评估所需的关键信息之一便是已发生雪崩的影像数据。由于这类灾害多发生在偏远且具潜在危险的区域，获取此类数据极为困难。固定翼飞行器因其长航程和高航速，成为采集雪崩活动航拍影像的理想平台。然而，在山地地形中操作此类飞行器仍面临复杂地形、法规限制及环境不确定性等多重挑战。本研究提出了一套能够利用固定翼飞行器系统安全导航并完成雪崩区域建图的解决方案，并探讨了执行此类任务时产生的技术难点。通过现场实验验证，本系统可在陡峭地形环境中实现有效导航，同时最大化建图质量。我们期望此项工作能够推动固定翼飞行器在高山环境中的自主化运行，从而提升数据采集质量。