SBIR Phase II: Infrasonic Avalanche Identification

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段研究项目旨在生产一种工作原型传感器阵列监测系统，该系统可以检测、识别和定位雪崩产生的次声。该项目的目标是将自动化监测系统商业化，以提高受雪崩活动影响的人们的安全和福祉。雪崩产生的次声信号可以从源头传播数英里，并为自动监测和预警系统提供基础。以前开发的单传感器次声监测系统可以以近乎实时的自动化方式检测和识别雪崩产生的次声，但当雪崩信号幅值较小和/或在高风噪声期间时，性能会受到影响。通过改进和改进基于阵列的信号处理算法，传感器阵列监测可以提供空间信息，大大提高在不同信号和噪声条件下雪崩信号的识别能力，同时还可以提供雪崩信号起源的地理位置。雪崩发生的识别将提高雪崩易发地区的安全性，并最大限度地减少与雪崩活动相关的直接和间接成本。意外雪崩活动的自动通知将为早期响应活动提供提示。通过该项目获得的知识将推动应用次声波传感器阵列监测领域，这是一门新兴科学。经过设计和验证的创新硬件和软件组件将可用于其他次声监测应用，如龙卷风、火山、山洪暴发、海洋风暴、冰川崩解、北极光光环、山脊线风、爆炸和飞机。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project aims to produce a working prototype sensor array monitoring system that detects, identifies, and localizes the infrasound generated by snow avalanches. The goal of the project is to bring to commercial form automated monitoring systems that improve the safety and welfare of those impacted by avalanche activity. Avalanche-generated infrasound signals can propagate miles from their origin, and provide a basis for automated monitoring and warning systems. Previously developed single sensor infrasound monitoring systems can detect and identify avalanche-generated infrasound in an automated near real-time manner, but performance suffers when avalanche signal amplitudes are small and/or during high wind noise periods. By advancing and refining array-based signal processing algorithms, sensor array monitoring can provide spatial information that greatly improves avalanche signal identification in varying signal and noise conditions while also providing the geographic location of the avalanche signal origin. Identification of avalanche occurrences will improve safety in avalanche prone terrain and minimize direct and indirect costs associated with avalanche activity. Automated notification of unexpected avalanche activity will provide a prompt for early response activities. Knowledge garnered through this project will advance the field of applied infrasonic sensor array monitoring, an infant science. Innovative hardware and software components that are designed and proven will be available for other infrasound monitoring applications such as tornadoes, volcanoes, flash floods, ocean storms, calving glaciers, aura borealis, ridgeline winds, explosions, and aircraft.