Work completed for Citizens' Observatory on the Tagliamento River

CAE installations, on behalf of the Eastern Alps Hydrographic District (DAO), have been completed. CAE was the group leader formed together with CONIT and SoftLab for the creation of the Citizens' Observatory also on the catchment area of the Tagliamento River, in the stretch between Pinzano and the mouth, have been completed. The activity, carried out under a Convention between the DAO and the Ministry of Ecological Transition, and which we had talked about here, saw the creation of a hydrometric and river discharge monitoring network that interfaces with a customized forecasting computer platform capable of acquiring, managing and storing data from citizens by integrating them with available hydraulic models.

The Tagliamento River is considered an extremely valuable and interesting ecosystem, being considered the last morphologically intact river corridor in the Alps. For a large part of its course, man's invasive intervention has been almost nil, and the river dynamics present a degree of naturalness that is almost unique in Europe. Only here, in fact, can one still observe an intertwined channeled riverbed of such magnitude. Its catchment area is being studied by universities and research institutes around the world, and is a model for river renaturalization efforts.

Therefore, the interventions on the stretch between Pinzano and the mouth improve the implementation of forecast models of hydrological development, disposing the Administration of more information related to the hydrometric and hydrological conditions of the said basin.

In addition, thanks to the IT platform, the data will be accessible to all those involved in the Observatory's activities, facilitating the exchange of communications between decision-makers, emergency responders and even individual citizens. Data are communicated in real time via GPRS and satellite. Moreover, again through the downloadable app via the QR code placed on the hydrometric rod, data can be entered manually, with a guided procedure, thus completing this innovative participatory monitoring model.

In parallel with the installation of the 4 remote sensing stations for hydrometric and discharge monitoring, CAE carried out important surveys that allowed the creation of a hydraulic model of the area of interest. In fact, 5 section surveys were carried out for each of the stations: one near the hydrometric rod, two upstream and two downstream. Total stations on vessels were used for these surveys, with GPS technology used in both RTK and static modes, so it was possible to obtain surveys in sea level elevations. Flow measurements, on the other hand, were made with both level and flow fixed gauges, ADCP Acoustic Doppler Correntimeter Profiler, and fixed gauges were then calibrated on the stations.

The network is a valuable tool, which made it possible, for example, to monitor the recent flooding of the Tagliamento River last November 3^rd and at the end of February.

To learn more about CAE’s solutions for the mitigation of hydraulic and hydrological risk click here.



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