Multi-Modal Sensor with Real Time Telemetry for Storm Surge and other Meteorological Measurements

Storm surge poses a grave threat to both life and property as hurricanes make landfall. The ability to monitor surge in real-time using a densely-space network of sensors with integrated data recording and telemetry would provide NOAA with a unique capability. Our approach is to offer a system which incorporates a flexible multi-modal data acquisition platform with integrated telemetry for real-time control and monitoring. The sensors will be designed for densely-spaced non-permanent deployments onshore in regions of interest in advance of hurricanes. The system will be very low power, hardened for extremely severe conditions, and capable of being installed quickly with minimal training or specialized expertise. This sensor platform will support the measurement of surge level, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, and anemometry. Additional sensor modules could be developed in future phases of research and connected to the system controller via a standardized serial data bus. A GPS receiver will be used to provide real-time geolocation and temporal alignment of the sampled data. Both cellular-modems and satellite-based will be used for telemetry and control.