Optical sensing for stream flow observations: a review

• Main Authors: Flavia Tauro, Andrea Petroselli, Salvatore Grimaldi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2018-04-01
• Series: Journal of Agricultural Engineering
• Subjects: Ungauged catchments; experimental monitoring; images; optical sensing; large scaleparticle image velocimetry; particle tracking velocimetry.
• Online Access: https://www.agroengineering.org/index.php/jae/article/view/836

Images are revolutionizing the way we sense and characterize the environment by offering higher spatial and temporal coverage in ungauged environments at competitive costs. In this review, we illustrate the major image-based approaches that have been lately adopted within the hydrological research community. Although many among such methodologies have been developed some decades ago, recent efforts have been devoted to their transition from laboratories to operational outdoor settings. Sample applications of image-based techniques include flow discharge estimation in riverine environments, clogging dynamics in irrigation systems, and flow diagnostics in engineering infrastructures. The potential of such image-based approaches towards fully remote observations is also illustrated through a simple experiment with an unmanned aerial vehicle.