Rain didn’t deter members of the Hydro-JULES team when they launched our Acoustic Remote Control (ARC) boat on the Thames at Wallingford during a recent fieldtrip for two interns.
Senior Hydrometric Scientist Nick Everard and Research Associate Data Scientist Doran Khamis introduced interns Felipe Fileni and Danny Cooper to the boat and its equipment, explaining what it could measure and how.
They learned how an acoustic sensor measures the depth and speed of the water, calculating the discharge of the river, while GPS location reveals the exact location at every data measurement point.
The boat was then launched it into the river near Wallingford bridge where it completed several widths to gather information, with Felipe and Danny getting involved. The pair were able to initiate the data collection via the laptop before watching the measurements transmitted from the boat appear live on screen.
Back in the classroom, team members discussed the use of the software before quality-checking the measurements and revealing the story shown by what proved to be a good set of data. In particular, they noted how the arches of the bridge were affecting the flow of the river, with faster flows recorded between the arches where the water was not obstructed.
The Hydro-JULES team would like to thank Nick and Doran for putting on such an excellent fieldtrip and a very successful introduction into the ARC boat and its capabilities.
Waterborne: Nick (left) and Doran launch the boat into the river Thames at Wallingford
Watching the river flow: (left to right) Nick, Felipe and Doran monitor data transmitted from the ARC boat.
