Low-cost stage-camera system for continuous water-level monitoring in ephemeral streams. Issue 9 (4th July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Noto, Simone; Tauro, Flavia; Petroselli, Andrea; Apollonio, Ciro; Botter, Gianluca; Grimaldi, Salvatore
• Is Part Of: Hydrological sciences journal. Volume 67:Issue 9(2022)
• Page Start: 1439
• Page End: 1448
• Publication Date: 2022-07-04
• Subjects: ephemeral streams -- digital camera -- computer vision -- stage-camera -- water level; Hydrology -- Periodicals; 551.4805
• DOI: 10.1080/02626667.2022.2079415
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0262-6667

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Monitoring ephemeral and intermittent streams is a major challenge in hydrology. On-site inspections may be impractical in difficult-to-access environments. Motivated by the latest advancements in digital cameras and computer vision techniques, in this work, we describe the development and application of a stage-camera system to monitor the water level in ungauged headwater streams. The system encompasses a consumer-grade wildlife camera with near-infrared (NIR) night vision capabilities and a white pole that serves as reference object in the collected images. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through a set of benchmark experiments performed in natural settings. Maximum mean absolute errors between stage-camera and reference data are approximately equal to 2 cm in the worst scenario that corresponds to severe storms with intense rainfall and fog. Our preliminary results are encouraging and support the scalability of the stage-camera in future implementations in a wide range of natural settings.