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The Syndicat Mixte de la Têt Bassin Versant (SMTBV), located in the South-East of France in the Pyrénées-Orientales Department, brings together 7 public authorities and the Metropolis of Perpignan Méditerranée to exercise the decentralised responsibility for aquatic environment and floods prevention (GEMAPI) over a hydrographic area of 1,500 square kilometres with a population of almost 250,000 (more than half the population of the Department).
With drinking water consumption in the Department Pyrénées-Orientales (FR) of 23m3 and over 10,000 hectares of agricultural irrigation, it is essential to have in-depth knowledge of watercourses to ensure that resources are shared, and that the environment remains in good condition. The current drought crisis has affected the region for 3 consecutive years: 5 localities under increased surveillance for drinking water supply, 12 with a total or partial water shortage (3,500 inhabitants), €10 million in losses for winegrowers and €2.5 million for livestock farmers, not to mention the economic impact on this region with its high potential for summer tourism.
The calculation of the river flows is essential to monitor these uses within the territory, however this measure is linked to the bathymetry which is nowadays unknown. The development of an innovative solution that automatically measures the river discharge and updates the rating curve in real time, would be disruptive in the domain. It will enable flows in the catchment area to be reconstructed in a variety of contexts and as exhaustively as possible, including during low-water periods.
Created in 2019, VorteX-io offers Europe’s first real-time, high-accuracy, inland water measurements database. The VorteX-io μVTX-2.1, developed from space technology, uses multiples remote sensing techniques (infrared, LiDar, multispectral camera, thermal infrared sensor, GNSS, receiver and antenna, on-board processing inherited from satellite ground segments). Combined with a visualization platform and notifications, customers have access to the data whenever they want. vorteX-io aims at providing the largest real-time hydrological database to improve understanding, knowledge and management of the resource and at supporting decision-making organizations in their daily management of the water resource.
The solution proposed here is unique and is based on the vorteX-io micro-station μVTX-2.1. The micro-station system is based on a smart, compact & innovative remote sensing instrument combining a LiDAR and a camera to provide water surface height, and images of the water surface. Also, thanks to the camera, the micro-station provides already water surface velocity estimates, a fundamental element to measure the river bathymetry. The solution we propose to co-create with the SMTBV, relies on the vorteX-io V2.1 micro-station and the gauges’ campaigns foreseen by the SMTBV. All generated and available data will be used to derive automatically real time measurements of the river discharge.
The high potential of the automatic actualisation of the water flow will lead to a more frequent update of the data which will optimise the modelisation. Such innovation will improve the water forecast as a whole, enabling citizens to become more resilient in the face of water management and natural disaster management issues.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement 101071212.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
