Efficiency of camera sensors for flood monitoring and warnings

Abstract

Adverse effects of flood on lives and properties has become an annual event in many developing countries. Flood events sometimes destroy agricultural lands and crops as well as public infrastructure and utilities. It is therefore of utmost importance to investigate the efficiencies and performances of technologies which are capable of monitoring regular water level changes. This study investigated the efficiency of Camera Sensor (CS) for water level monitoring at varying operating and image capturing distances of 1.0, 2.3 and 2.8 m from the water bodies. Changes in water levels were captured at five (5) minutes time intervals at varying tilting angles both at indoor and outdoor conditions. CS captured blur images at distance 1 m from the water body. Clear and visible images were however captured when the CS was placed at distances 2.3 and 2.8 m from the experimental flume. Distance 2.3 m was however recommended for CS operation; since it captured clearer and more visible images. At distance 2.8 m, CS captured water level more accurately, since it resulted in lower standard errors for all compared trials. CS's angle of inclination has no effect whatsoever on the quality of images captured. Water level monitoring by CS can be adequately used for optimal flood monitoring, warnings and data gathering, because changes in water level can be captured at chosen intervals. This will enable timely actions for the mitigation of accompanying flood effects, especially in developing African countries where most catchments are ungauged.

Keywords

• Camera sensor distance
• Water level monitoring
• Flood mitigation
• Data logger
• Experimental flume