Development of Low-Cost In-Situ Laser Sensor for Measurement of Turbidity/Bathymetry/Flow Speed from UAVs and Ground Stations

Present, traditional devices that measure water turbidity, bathymetry, or flow velocity either must be in contact with the water being measured and/or come at a high cost and are difficult to use. The proposed work aims to develop and deploy a single low-cost laser remote sensor for measurements of turbidity, bathymetry and flow velocity. The sensing platform will be low enough in size/weight/power/cost to be readily deployed as an in-situ sensor at remote field sites as well as be mounted to small drones for performing surveys or large bodies of water. Phase I will build and characterize a laser remote sensor. The tasks will consist of building the instrument, performing calibration and characterization tests in the lab, and at a test site. Because the instrument is inherently simple, the majority of the Phase I effort can concentrate on data collection and characterization, with room for sensor design iterations if needed. In addition, part of the Phase I will involve detailing a plan for work in Phase II that would integrate the sensors into a scalable sensor network and software infrastructure for remote viewing of measurement data in real time. The initial inspiration for the measurement approach was borne out of a water quality monitoring need for detection and sizing of suspended solids concentrations. While commercial nephelometers exist for this purpose, there are limitations in their method of measurement. To address these limitations, the company has worked on developing an alternative measurement method that can also measure quantities such as depth-resolved flow speed, water height, and water turbidity. The funding will enable the maturation of the technology to the point of being able to be used as a commercial product by any who need one or more of the data products just described.