Swiss mountain resort LAAX will deploy tracking technology that uses wireless radio frequency (RF) communications to monitor ski-school students' location on the slopes.

The system will use Semtech's LoRa RF platform, a two-way wireless device, to connect battery-operated mobile devices to a low-power, wide-area (LoRaWAN) network supplied by IoT provider TalkPool.

Locating lost students can improve skier safety and instructor efficiency. Image credit: Pixabay. Each student who takes a lesson at the LAAX resort will be equipped with a sensor module that transmits his or her location to the network via a gateway. Instructors will be able to access this information using an app on their smartphone that will provide them with visual cues they can follow on an interactive map.

For example, a green dot displays for those students who are close by, while a red dot indicates students who might be lost.

“The LoRaWAN network platform offers the type of long-range RF communications required to monitor students in vast mountainous terrain, while also using very little power," says Robert Spertina, head of IoT and managing director at TalkPool. "One base station can cover an area several kilometers wide and the sensor batteries can last for years, which means they do not have to be replaced very often.”

The ability to quickly locate students lost on a mountain is important because if they are disoriented due to the elements or an injury, a fast response could be lifesaving. In addition to safety, the tracking technology can potentially improve ski instructors' efficiency, as they are able to spend more time teaching rather than scanning the mountain for lost students.