NIVUS develops wireless river flow monitoring system

NIVUS has developed a wireless river monitoring system designed to provide continuous flow data without the requirement for cross-river cabling. The Wireless Transit Time system utilizes satellite timing and wireless communication between riverbanks to offer a less invasive alternative to traditional cabled transit-time monitoring.

This new approach aims to maintain the accuracy of transit-time flow measurement while reducing the costs, complexity, and environmental disruption typically associated with installing cables or ducts across river channels. Accurate river flow data is essential for flood warning, modeling, forecasting, water resources planning, and abstraction management.

In England, the Environment Agency utilizes hydrometric monitoring to track water quantity across rivers, groundwater, lakes, and estuaries. The agency notes that monitoring presents unique challenges, requiring robust technology capable of performing reliably across diverse conditions, from slowly responding lowland rivers to catchments experiencing rapid changes during storm events.