Satellite telemetry supports flood protection in Scotland

Scotland's water is famed worldwide, and performs vital roles both in tourism and in the production and branding of some of the country’s greatest exports. Water resources are monitored closely by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to inform water management and to protect the environment; by detecting trends from climate change for example. Part of this monitoring activity is undertaken to provide a free advance flood warning service known as Floodline. This is a 24/7 telephone and website service providing advance notice of flooding, with advice on how to be prepared.

Floodline provides regional flood alerts which cover a wide geographic area and provide an early indication of potential flooding. This raises awareness and enables the public and emergency response services to prepare for possible flooding. Floodline also issues flood warnings for specific smaller areas where messages can be issued for local communities.

SEPA’s Flood forecasting and warning relies on a network of water level and precipitation monitors, some of which are located in remote areas of catchments, where the communications infrastructure can be less reliable. The SUTRON SatLink3, a combined datalogger and satellite transmitter, was therefore trialled at a site in Boat of Garten, near Aviemore. The logger is SDI12 compatible, and an OTT PLS sensor was used to monitor water levels and temperature, in addition to a raingauge and an air temperature sensor.

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