Pic de Molèr: GEO Surveyor 2.0 test site

KRIA’s attendance to the Aosta Valley regional project called Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) has given a great push to the development of our GEO Surveyor 2.0 device specifically designed for landslides and avalanches monitoring.

Following the suggestion of the geological department called “Sezione Attività Geologiche” of the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, a prototype of our GEO Surveyor 2.0 device has been approved to be tested in the pilot site of Fontainemore in order to monitor the Pic de Molér side that rises above the small town of Lillianes. Other pilot sites on different sides of Monte Bianco mountain are still operating.

GEO Surveyor 2.0 is installed in Gressoney valley (Fontainemore locality), in order to monitor the Pic de Molèr slope.

The hundreds meters front of the Pic de Molér side with its huge and unsteady rock blocks has already been being monitored by the regional authorities. The electricity for the higher part of the Gressoney Valley, the Regional Road (unique communication route with Gressoney) and the houses within the town of Lillianes represent infrastructure and areas exposed to risk so that it was necessary to raise the monitoring level.

Pic de Molér slope from the internal camera of GEO Surveyor 2.0 [©KRIA]

Besides the new software functions and the complete hardware review, this device has the great news of the total energy independence. A battery pack that has to be buried in order to reduce temperature variations keeps the GEO Surveyor 2.0 device always operating; the batteries take energy from solar panels and wind. A charge controller balances the available energy sources providing the right energy quantity for the full operation of the device itself and also keeping an appropriate charge level to the batteries.

The GEO Surveyor 2.0 device is also equipped with transmission systems based on IP technologies both wireless and wi-fi offering the maximum flexibility for the communications of the detected events.

This system has been designed with very low dimensions so that it can be handled and installed without any specific machinery. Furthermore, considering the very small occupied area and its own power supply, installation can be easily replicated even in different contexts.