Swiss Avalanche Accident Records Since 1970

ENVIDAT provides a collection of all known avalanche accidents in Switzerland involving at least one person caught, starting from October 1, 1970. Data includes details such as date, location coordinates, avalanche danger levels, and casualty counts, with annual updates after each hydrological year. The dataset is maintained by the SLF Data Service.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in avalanche fatalities using the date and number_of_dead_persons columns.
• Model avalanche risk by correlating forecasted_avalanche_danger_level with accident location and slope_inclination.
• Identify high-risk geographical areas by clustering accidents based on canton, municipality, and start_zone_point coordinates.
• Study the impact of human activity on accidents using the activity/location_of_the_accident_party field.

Strengths

• Records span over 50 years of historical data since 1970/71.
• Includes precise geospatial features like start_zone_point latitude, longitude, and elevation.

Limitations

• The dataset only includes accidents with at least one person caught, excluding unreported or property-only events.
• Data completeness and accuracy for older records may be lower than for recent entries.

Provenance

Source

ENVIDAT, sourced from SLF Data Service (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF).

Collection Method

Compilation of all known avalanche accidents reported in Switzerland.

Time Range

From October 1, 1970 onward.

Freshness

Updated annually after the completion of a hydrological year; last platform update was 2023-01-01.

Geography

Switzerland, with canton and municipality-level detail.