Terms of Use

Last updated: 8 October 2026

These terms govern the use of this website, which is operated by Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH, Wangenstrasse 68, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland. Watchberg is a project and working name of Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH. By using this website you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the website.

1. Purpose of the website

This website provides information about the Watchberg project: articles on satellite radar, alpine slope hazards and the Swiss natural hazard system, a description of the service that is under development, and a way to contact us. It is an information website. It is not a monitoring service, a warning service or a data portal, and nothing on it is updated in response to events on any slope.

2. No professional advice

The content of this website is general information. It is not geological, engineering, hazard-management, legal, financial or any other professional advice, and it does not take account of the circumstances of any particular slope, site, asset or person. Decisions about the monitoring of a slope, the closure of a road or a rail line, the operation of an installation, or the protection of people and property must be taken by the competent authorities, operators and qualified experts on the basis of their own assessment. Do not rely on this website for such decisions.

3. Nature of the service described

The service described on this website is decision support for qualified experts, such as cantonal natural hazard specialists, infrastructure operators and engineering consultancies. It is not a public warning system, it is not addressed to the public, and it does not issue warnings, alarms or instructions to anyone. It does not predict the time of a collapse and does not replace ground-based monitoring, observers or the hazard management procedures of authorities and operators.

The service is under development. All statements on this website about its capabilities, detection performance, lead times, coverage, cadence, accuracy and reliability are projections based on published research and on the design of the service. They remain to be validated. A pilot programme is planned; its results are not yet available, and nothing on this website should be read as a report of operational results.

4. Accuracy of information

We prepare the content of this website with care and cite the sources we rely on. We nevertheless give no warranty, express or implied, that the information is accurate, complete, current or fit for any purpose. Figures taken from third-party sources are reproduced as published by those sources; errors in those sources are outside our control. We may correct, change or remove content at any time without notice.

5. No warranty

This website is provided as it is and as available. We do not warrant that the website will be available without interruption, free of errors or free of harmful components, or that defects will be corrected. We may suspend or discontinue the website or any part of it at any time.

6. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by Swiss law, Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH, its managing director and its staff exclude all liability for direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind arising from the use of, the inability to use, or reliance on this website or its content, including loss or damage arising from decisions taken, or not taken, on the basis of information found on this website. This exclusion does not apply to liability for intent or gross negligence, or to any liability that cannot be excluded under mandatory law.

7. Intellectual property

The texts, layout, structure and design of this website are protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights and belong to Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH unless stated otherwise. You may read, print and store pages of this website for your own personal or internal, non-commercial information. Any other use, including reproduction, distribution, modification, public communication or commercial use, requires our prior written consent. Short quotations with a clear reference to this website as the source are permitted. The name Watchberg is used by Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH; trademark registration is planned. Third-party content and sources cited on this website remain the property of their respective owners.

8. External links

This website contains links to external websites, including the sources cited in the articles. These links are provided for information only. We have no control over external websites, do not endorse their content and accept no responsibility for it or for any loss or damage arising from its use. The terms and privacy policies of those websites apply when you visit them.

9. Contact form

The contact form is intended for enquiries about the Watchberg project and about Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH. Do not use it to report an acute hazard, an emergency or a situation requiring an immediate response; contact the competent authorities or the emergency services instead. We do not monitor the form continuously and give no commitment to respond within any particular time. Messages must not contain unlawful, abusive or misleading content. The processing of the data you submit is described in the privacy policy.

10. Data protection

The processing of personal data in connection with this website is described in the privacy policy, which forms part of these terms.

11. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms at any time. The version published on this website at the time of your visit applies. The date at the top shows when the terms were last updated.

12. Severability

If any provision of these terms is or becomes invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in force. The invalid provision is to be replaced by a valid provision that comes closest to its economic purpose.

13. Applicable law and place of jurisdiction

These terms and any dispute arising from the use of this website are governed by Swiss substantive law, to the exclusion of its conflict of laws rules and of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The exclusive place of jurisdiction is Zurich, Switzerland, subject to mandatory provisions of law that provide for a different forum.

14. Contact

Swiss Aerospace Ventures GmbH, Wangenstrasse 68, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland. Email: julian@swissaerospace.ventures.