HERON: Hydrological Enduring Remote Observation Network

Water management, stormwater control, and other flooding concerns present common and significant issues in many urban environments. As communities look to tackle issues related to urban flooding and streamflow, automated sensors that are low-cost and easy to install will be crucial to monitoring and restoration efforts. The unique challenges posed by urban stream monitoring require an innovative approach to measuring hydrological parameters of interest including stage, discharge, and inundation events. The Hydrological Enduring Remote Observation Network (HERON) is being developed to meet these urgent requirements. HERON is a compact, low-cost solution that is designed to be easily and quickly installed at any urban location. It relies on remote sensing methodology, using a camera to capture imagery, an embedded processor to calculate stage, discharge, and inundation maps, and a cellular, wifi, or satellite modem to report results in real-time. HERON relies on a unique installation procedure, ensuring that multiple systems can be installed quickly and efficiently along any urban stream to create a network of systems. In Phase I, a proof-of-concept data collection system will be built to develop installation procedures, investigate different camera modalities and performance tiers, and gather relevant data for algorithm development. HERON algorithms will be refined and optimized for each camera and results will be compared to ground truth measurements. Using these results, a trade study and various system design concepts will be created to quantify performance versus cost for various system configurations. A low-cost, compact, easy-to-use system for monitoring streams will have many commercial applications and public benefits. HERON systems will provide most immediate value to researchers and scientists studying urban streams who currently are not able to collect as much data, and in as many locations, as they require. However, since the system will be portable and self-powered, it will also have wide application as a streamgage in rural, hard to access locations as well. The systems will find utility in monitoring areas that are prone to flooding, where stakeholders, such as local municipalities, can benefit more timely and accurate information affecting their localities. Additionally, in areas where inundation mapping is of particular concern (e.g., coastal cities or urban areas with poor drainage), HERON will provide a means to create a sensor network capable of providing flood maps in real-time to decision makers. By lowering the time and cost to set up a monitoring network, HERON provides a new tool for resource and environmental managers and planners to engage in routine, continuous monitoring of sites to ensure compliance with rules and regulations, assess current conditions, and make predictions about future conditions.