Watershed Symposium 2018

Cyberinfrastructure for Improving Real-Time Water Resources Management

This presentation will explore new forms of cyberinfrastructure for monitoring water resources, including autonomous robotic-sensor networks for real-time water flow and quality tracking in rivers and estuaries, wireless-sensor networks for monitoring the mountain water cycle, and machine learning algorithms to optimize sensor-network design

Full Abstract
Recent advances in low-cost and low-power sensing technologies, remote sensing, cloud computing, and machine learning present exciting opportunities to develop new resilient and adaptive civil-infrastructure systems for improving water-resources management. These systems can help to ensure the optimal use of constrained water resources, monitor aging infrastructure, adapt to infrastructure failures, and improve our scientific understanding of the environment. In this presentation, I will discuss research on new real-time sensor networks for monitoring water resources in mountains and river environments, which are key regions for storing and delivering water in the Salt Lake Valley and across the Western United States. Specific topics will include: (1) the development of an autonomous robotic sensor networks for real-time water flow and quality tracking in rivers and estuaries, (2) real-time wireless-sensor networks for monitoring the mountain water cycle, and (3) combining airborne remote sensing data and machine learning algorithms to optimize sensor-network design. I will also present and solicit feedback on future research, including the development of depth-profiling robots for the Great Salt Lake and Utah lake.