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New method enables 24/7 low-cost monitoring of river water levels

Xinhua News Agency, Berlin, December 3 (Reporter Du Zheyu) The University of Bonn in Germany recently issued a press release stating that researchers at the university have developed a low-cost, round-the-clock method for monitoring river water levels. Relevant results have been published in the American journal “Water Resources Research”.

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  According to the researchers, there are many traditional methods of monitoring river water levels, but whether it is a simple ruler or an advanced radar, there are some problems, such as fragile, unable to continuously monitor, difficult to read remotely, and too expensive. Their newly developed monitoring equipment is not only low-cost, reliable and durable, but also continuously transmits water level conditions to relevant departments through mobile communication for drought and flood warnings. The plant has been in operation for two years in the Wesel region of the Lower Rhine.

  At the heart of the monitoring equipment is a low-cost Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that uses satellite signals to measure the distance of the GNSS antenna to the water’s surface. The GNSS antenna is connected to a microcomputer that calculates the water level from the raw data and transmits the data via a mobile network. The device can be installed on bridges, buildings, trees, fences and other objects to measure river water levels around the clock with an average error of about 1.5 cm.

  While not as accurate as radar-based sensors, the researchers say the measurement method does what it’s supposed to do, and the equipment costs less than $150, much less than advanced counterparts. The software they write is open source and freely available to those interested. However, this approach has drawbacks and currently only works for rivers with a width of at least 40 meters. The researchers plan to further optimize the code, hoping to obtain accurate measurements on narrower rivers in the future.

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