Winner of the WMO HydroHub Innovation Call - Pacific Island Countries
The selection process for the WMO HydroHub Innovation Call - Pacific Island Countries has been concluded. We are happy to announce the name of the company that has been offered a contract to implement an innovation project in the next 12 months.
The selected company is the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) of New Zealand, which will be implementing a project titled "Non-contact measurement of river flows in the Pacific region, using innovative surface image velocimetry and stereoscopic methods".
Project Summary
Surface velocimetry methods enable non-contact measurement of river flow. Measurements can be made with smartphones, handheld Surface Velocity Radar (SVR), or installed camera stations. These methods are well suited for measuring flash floods in the Pacific, where traditional measurement techniques struggle, resulting in gaps in stage-discharge relationships. This has serious implications for flood warnings based on upstream stage recorders. Discharge measurements from surface velocities are now well established, with reliable open-source software for data processing. However, flood peaks are still hard to capture and innovative stage-triggered camera stations are needed.
The project will:
- Provide advice and training on flow measurement with smartphones, SVR, and camera stations.
- Develop a novel stage-triggered stereoscopic camera station for capturing flash floods.
- Deploy camera stations in Fiji with the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to test their efficacy for Pacific rivers.
Updates on the project will be provided soon.