Published
glacier
vr.tr.glacier · thing-q35666
Let an agent handle glaciers by name, type, size, change over time, hazards and visiting safety, with sourced monitoring data.
Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.PLC
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identity Which glacier.
Name
Glacier.
Name
Glacier identity.
- Which glacier is meant, and where? provenance
- What is its inventory ID? provenance
Type
Form.
Type
Glacier type.
- What type of glacier is it? definition
- How does it move? definition
Change Monitoring.
Mass balance
Data.
Mass balance
Mass balance.
- How has its mass or length changed, according to monitoring data? measurement
- Over which period? provenance
Projections
Future.
Projections
Projections.
- What do studies project for this glacier? provenance
- How uncertain are they? boundary
Hazards Risks.
Crevasses
Travel.
Crevasses
Crevasse danger.
- Is it safe to walk on this glacier without a qualified guide? boundary
- What equipment and training are required? provenance
Floods
Outburst floods.
Floods
Outburst floods.
- Is there a glacial lake outburst flood risk here? provenance
- Which authority issues warnings? provenance
Visiting Tourism.
Access
Viewpoints.
Access
Access.
- Where are safe viewpoints and trails? provenance
- Are there closures? provenance
Rescue
Emergencies.
Rescue
Mountain rescue.
- How can mountain rescue be contacted? provenance
- What information should be given? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.PLC
- Other names and narrower kinds
- icefall, tropical glacier, kalter Glacier, glacieret, tidewater glacier, regenerated glacier, Glacieret, piedmont glacier, Glaciers of Alaska, ice dome, ice tongue, ice stream
What it is Filled
A persistent body of dense ice that forms from compacted snow and moves under its own weight, including valley glaciers, ice caps and tidewater glaciers; most glaciers are currently losing mass.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle glaciers by name, type, size, change over time, hazards and visiting safety, with sourced monitoring data.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Moving ice mass
- Formed from compacted snow
- Sensitive to climate
- Source of hazards and water
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Direct anyone onto a glacier without a guide, roped travel and crevasse rescue skills.
- Advise approaching a glacier front, ice cave or meltwater channel where collapse is possible.
- Downplay glacial lake outburst flood risk to communities downstream.
- Present modelled retreat figures as measurements, or dismiss observed retreat.
Only with a human decision
- Any decision to travel on or near a glacier.
- Any warning to communities downstream about flood risk.
May
- Report a glacier's extent, retreat and monitoring data from published glaciological sources.
- Pass on route, access and hazard information from the local mountain authority.
- Insist that glacier travel needs trained guides and equipment.
Moral aspects Filled
- Crevasses, ice collapse and outburst floods kill walkers and whole villages downstream.
- Glacier loss removes the water supply that millions of people depend on.
Who is affected
- Walkers and climbers
- Communities downstream
- Researchers and guides
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the ice; the state governs the land, and monitoring services keep the records.
Master systems
- World glacier monitoring inventories
- National hydrological records
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q106589819 - registry parent class
- Q3748258 - registry parent class
- Q59674586 - registry parent class
related
- perennial ice cover - category
- ice sheet - larger form
- river - hydrology
- World Glacier Monitoring Service - programme
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.glacier
- Wikidata: Q35666 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35666)
- GLIMS ID: glacier inventory code inventory
Direct properties required Filled
- Surface area: km2 - Measure the mapped ice extent at a stated observation date.
- Ice thickness: m - Measure the distance between the glacier surface and its bed using radar or borehole observations.
- Surface flow speed: m/year - Measure surface displacement over a stated interval using surveyed markers or repeated imagery.
- Ice volume: km3 - Estimate volume by integrating measured or modeled ice thickness across the mapped glacier area.
Recognition required Filled
- Crevasses and moraines
- Valley, tidewater and cirque glaciers
- Snowfields do not flow like glaciers
- Rivers or sheets of white and blue ice with crevasses, moraines and meltwater.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- find glacier data from monitoring programmes
- explain glacier types and movement
- understand hazards such as crevasses and outburst floods
- plan safe visits with guides
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Crevasse falls
- Glacial lake outburst floods
- Ice collapse at glacier fronts
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Protected area rules
- Mountain guide qualifications
Context of use required Filled
- Water storage, climate records and landscapes.
- valley glaciers
- cirque glaciers
- ice caps
- tidewater glaciers
- tropical glaciers
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q35666: glacier - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Glacier - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should each glacier be a separate entry?
- How should GLIMS data be linked?
- How should mass balance data be shown?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q35666/spec.json