Overcoming lock-in situations: the open hydro-meteorological network of the Aosta Valley Region

The hydro-meteorological network of the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region was completely renovated in 2018/2019 with open and latest generation technologies to make the 4 pre-existing networks homogeneous, both as far as field installations and operations centre, and to guarantee that, at the end of the project, all the components of the system could be replaced, both for maintenance and for future expansions, with interchangeable components from other manufacturers, which can implement the same standard protocols and dialogue methods. The project developed by CAE for the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region is ambitious and it outlines a possible innovative horizon for our Public Administration on a national scale.

Today the network has about 100 installations, including stations and repeaters, of which 28 are stations installed above 2000 m above sea level. Working in these sites, which are difficult to reach, requires highly qualified staff and specific work techniques to guarantee the correct maintenance of the equipment.

The extreme conditions and the very harsh temperatures, which can even reach -35°C, require sturdy materials. As anticipated, the technologies installed are also open and interoperable: in particular, the installed equipment includes the Mhaster datalogger, with Linux operating system, and the RCS UHF/IP radio that uses standard and open protocols, such as CoAP, which can be interchangeable in any time with components from other manufacturers. To read the complete case history, click here.

The data collected include: wind direction and speed, temperature, solar radiation, rain, level of watercourses and snow, a precious data for the prevention of avalanches, aiming at managing the water resource and the water supplied to river floods downstream. As Igor Chiambretti of AINEVA stated in an interview with CAE Magazine, "snow is a precious reserve of water that we can use in the driest months to drink, irrigate crops and raise livestock or to produce hydroelectric energy. This resource will become increasingly strategic and crucial soon for the populations of the entire Mediterranean basin and Europe based on the recent climate evolution (regardless of its origin). It will therefore become a priority to further enhance the quality of our forecasts and our ability to correctly estimate the quantities of snow accumulated on the ground, allowing us to better manage the use of the most precious substance in the world: water and, especially, drinking water" (to read the complete interview click here).

For further information on the subject, CAE Magazine interviewed by Hervé Stevenin, of the Functional Centre of the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region, who tell us how last winter was in terms of rain and snow fall in the Region, to learn more click here.

Back to the news index