Low Cost Gauges
In recent years, flood monitoring networks have expanded exponentially, providing the emergency management sector and the broader community with a wealth of information on rainfall and river level conditions. The driver for most river gauge installations has been to improve flood forecasts and warnings, resulting in most river gauges being positioned at strategic locations on key watercourses. In many cases, such locations do not coincide with other vulnerable sites, such as low-level causeways or residential areas prone to regular inundation. Installation of a typical flood gauge at every area of interest is not economically viable.
Responding to the industry need for low-cost water level monitoring, and embracing the Internet of Things (IoT) concept, Wight Water has developed a series of low cost sensors for monitoring rainfall and river levels.
RiverWatch is a simplistic, low cost, yet robust sensor for monitoring water levels in remote areas. Primarily designed to alert local authorities or residents whether a road or access is flood affected, RiverWatch communicates over 3G/4G or LoRa™ wide area network (WAN) for larger networks
RiverWatch addresses several fundamental design principles:
- Low cost – we combine readily available parts with simple deployment to keep costs as low as possible.
- Low power – our custom built circuit board was designed for lowest possible power consumption.
- Discrete – our defence against vandalism and unwanted attention has been to disguise the gauge as a standard flood marker.
- Adaptable – every site is different, requiring different sensor mounting options.
- Modular – when we need more information than knowing whether a road is flooded or not, we can replace the float sensors with a Campbell Scientific CS451 pressure transducer for continual water levels.
- Robust – IP68 rating for the telemetry module allows for complete submergence
Contact us for more information.