Watershed Monitoring Network Using Sensor Nodes in a Mesh Topology

Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room

A hydroclimatic monitoring network was installed in the Miller Run watershed, a tributary to the Susquehanna River. The goal of this project is to develop and test state-of-the-art methods for collecting and displaying weather and streamflow data from a network of remote monitoring stations in real-time. The monitoring network is currently comprised of three stations. Each station is solar powered and able to communicate using a private wireless network. One station is also equipped with a cellular data modem and routes data between the Internet the other monitoring stations using the private wireless network. A server at Bucknell University periodically records weather and streamflow data from each station into a distributed time-series database. A separate server queries this database to provide real-time interactive visualizations and a user-friendly dashboard accessible to researchers. This project demonstrates the feasibility of providing real-time hydroclimatic information using modern wireless communication, database, and web technologies. In the future, we plan to grow our system by adding more stations and integrating data from other providers (e.g., USGS) to create a unified platform for hydroclimatic research.