Iceland's Lifeline


	Karl G. Asgrimsson of Iceland's Public Road Administration monitors reports of snowy weather conditions received from the automatic weather station in Hellisheidi, 45 km east of Reykjavik. (Photograph by Pall Stefansson)

n Iceland's pounding winters, when the snow swirls, when the pressure dips, when the wind gusts strong enough to knock down a standing man, the Internet is listening. It's listening through electronic sensors tucked among the glacial hills of this harsh and rocky, but technologically advanced, country. The sensors collect weather and road condition data, which are transmitted on the Net to the Public Road Administration in Reykjavik, Iceland's capital. The staff watches the Internet as the Internet watches the winter. They dispatch snowplows as needed and post road condition updates to electronic signboards along the road.


	Iceland's harsh weather is now being monitored on the Internet. (Photograph by Pall Stefansson)


	When data received from automatic weather stations indicate accumulating snow, plows are immediately dispatched to clear the roads. (Photograph by Pall Stefansson )

These notices are also picked up from the Internet by BBSes and local radio stations. In a country where zero visibility in winter is common, where you can drive 50 kilometers and encounter only one gas station along the way, advance warning is not just a convenience -- it frequently saves lives.