Optical tracking velocimetry for real-time sensing of river flows: The application of optical tracking velocimetry in practice
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Geog, Politics and Sociology
Abstract
The focus of this study is how OTV can be used in applications to real-world flood management issues. This requires studies into how OTV is best suited to accurate open-channel flow measurements, as well as discovering its limitations for practical use.
This is accomplished in several stages including:
1. Creating hydraulic models in real time catchments for the use of validation of industrial modelling software.
2. Looking at how OTV can be used in the design processes of flood management systems (primarily low-cost solutions such as Natural Flood Management (NFM)).
3. How OTV can be used in parallel with flood systems such as sluice gates to mitigate flood risk to urban areas.
This research greatly benefits industrial sectors. It provides a low-cost solution to data gathering of rivers, as well as reducing the risk to those in the field collecting data. Unmanned systems can be used to collect river flow video data for use of OTV in high-risk areas such as large-scale flooding. A focus of research will be on the cost-benefit analysis of using OTV; this is due to the benefits that it could potentially have towards NFM projects that usually have very limited budgets. This has the potential to increase the number of small catchments that receive high flood risk but struggle with funding for flood alleviation projects.
There are several areas of interest that are currently collecting OTV data; each area has differing benefits to the research such as differing flood conditions, moving flow paths and differing flow rating curves. This therefore increases the utility of desk study for the project viable. Field study will be required to analyse the flood alleviation side of the proposal as this is a new angle that will be taken for OTV. To do this, it is suggested that further research into the catchment of Ireshopeburn, Weardale, is carried out as much of the bank, flow, cross-sectional data, and hydrological models are currently available.
To carry out the research, rain gauge stations, pressure transducers and OTV cameras will be set-up on-site to begin for data collection, analysis, and validation. This data will be used to determine the feasibility of building a real-time hydraulic or hydrological model of a catchment to aid in early flood warning systems. This data will also be used to determine whether or not it is feasible to use OTV in the design process of flood management projects. The methodology stated above moves OTV out of a laboratory controlled setting and starts to bring it into more applied areas of industry. Cost-benefit analyses can be used to determine whether OTV is a feasible data-collecting source over traditional acoustic methods of flow measuring.
Although much of the focus of this study is looking at using existing algorithms and industrial software to model flow using OTV, training would be beneficial in the maths and the programming of the algorithms. This provides a clear foundation of knowledge and understanding behind why results show what they do in order to reduce the likelihood of acceptance of error.
Risk assessments will be required for all field research as there is the danger of working with fast flowing water, working at height while setting up the stations, and some long-distance travelling. There is also the likelihood that private land will be surrounding points of interest along rivers and as secondary rivers are not under the jurisdiction of the EA. Access will first be required to be requested to the landowners.
The project is set to be completed within three-years. The first year of study will focus on building the skillset required to analyse and collect the data required, while simultaneously setting up data stations so that there is data to analyse in the second year of study. The second year of study will focus on the practical side of the project, studying data that has been collected and creating models and systems that can use said data to benefit
This is accomplished in several stages including:
1. Creating hydraulic models in real time catchments for the use of validation of industrial modelling software.
2. Looking at how OTV can be used in the design processes of flood management systems (primarily low-cost solutions such as Natural Flood Management (NFM)).
3. How OTV can be used in parallel with flood systems such as sluice gates to mitigate flood risk to urban areas.
This research greatly benefits industrial sectors. It provides a low-cost solution to data gathering of rivers, as well as reducing the risk to those in the field collecting data. Unmanned systems can be used to collect river flow video data for use of OTV in high-risk areas such as large-scale flooding. A focus of research will be on the cost-benefit analysis of using OTV; this is due to the benefits that it could potentially have towards NFM projects that usually have very limited budgets. This has the potential to increase the number of small catchments that receive high flood risk but struggle with funding for flood alleviation projects.
There are several areas of interest that are currently collecting OTV data; each area has differing benefits to the research such as differing flood conditions, moving flow paths and differing flow rating curves. This therefore increases the utility of desk study for the project viable. Field study will be required to analyse the flood alleviation side of the proposal as this is a new angle that will be taken for OTV. To do this, it is suggested that further research into the catchment of Ireshopeburn, Weardale, is carried out as much of the bank, flow, cross-sectional data, and hydrological models are currently available.
To carry out the research, rain gauge stations, pressure transducers and OTV cameras will be set-up on-site to begin for data collection, analysis, and validation. This data will be used to determine the feasibility of building a real-time hydraulic or hydrological model of a catchment to aid in early flood warning systems. This data will also be used to determine whether or not it is feasible to use OTV in the design process of flood management projects. The methodology stated above moves OTV out of a laboratory controlled setting and starts to bring it into more applied areas of industry. Cost-benefit analyses can be used to determine whether OTV is a feasible data-collecting source over traditional acoustic methods of flow measuring.
Although much of the focus of this study is looking at using existing algorithms and industrial software to model flow using OTV, training would be beneficial in the maths and the programming of the algorithms. This provides a clear foundation of knowledge and understanding behind why results show what they do in order to reduce the likelihood of acceptance of error.
Risk assessments will be required for all field research as there is the danger of working with fast flowing water, working at height while setting up the stations, and some long-distance travelling. There is also the likelihood that private land will be surrounding points of interest along rivers and as secondary rivers are not under the jurisdiction of the EA. Access will first be required to be requested to the landowners.
The project is set to be completed within three-years. The first year of study will focus on building the skillset required to analyse and collect the data required, while simultaneously setting up data stations so that there is data to analyse in the second year of study. The second year of study will focus on the practical side of the project, studying data that has been collected and creating models and systems that can use said data to benefit
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Matthew Perks (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Martin Jolley (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/R51309X/1 | 01/10/2018 | 30/09/2023 | |||
| 2281189 | Studentship | EP/R51309X/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/12/2022 | Martin Jolley |