3D Mapping of Glacier Moulins: Challenges and lessons learned

TL;DR

This paper reports on the use of a custom lidar-inertial platform to map glacier moulins, highlighting challenges faced and lessons learned to improve autonomous environmental surveying.

Contribution

It introduces a novel autonomous measurement platform and provides insights into the practical challenges of glacier mapping with robotics.

Findings

Successful deployment of a lidar-inertial platform for glacier mapping

Identification of key challenges in autonomous environmental data collection

Lessons learned to guide future robotic glacier surveys

Abstract

In this paper, we present a field report of the mapping of the Athabasca Glacier, using a custom-made lidar-inertial mapping platform. With the increasing autonomy of robotics, a wider spectrum of applications emerges. Among these, the surveying of environmental areas presents arduous and hazardous challenges for human operators. Leveraging automated platforms for data collection holds the promise of unlocking new applications and a deeper comprehension of the environment. Over the course of a week-long deployment, we collected glacier data using a tailor-made measurement platform and reflected on the inherent challenges associated with such experiments. We focus on the insights gained and the forthcoming challenges that robotics must surmount to effectively map these terrains.