Improved dam surveillance with sensor and processing technologies

Talsperren-Mess-Informations-System (TaMIS) – Development of a Dam Surveillance and Information System for the Management of Natural Hazards

The research project TaMIS applies new sensor and processing technologies to improve dam monitoring and develops a novel Web-based monitoring system. Standardized observation hosting Web services are coupled with standardized spatio-temporal processing Web services instances within the TaMIS system to semi-automatically extract measurement information and optimize safety monitoring at a dam. The sensors in use range from differential GPS sensors, sensors to monitor dam structure deformation, weather and gauge sensors to observe hydrological behaviour and seepage sensors to control the washing away of dam material.

Integration of analysis and prediction modules in the TaMIS System

52°North integrates different analysis/prediction modules in the TaMIS system by means of the standardized OGC Web Processing Service (WPS). The modules used are two statistical models implemented in R, a multiple linear regression and a spatial interpolation, and a complex run-off model provided as executable binaries by a commercial vendor. Our core contributions comprise the development of

1. a systematic approach for coupling Sensor Observation Services and Web Processing Services
2. a WPS for regression, interpolation and a run-off simulation model that can be applied to data from SOS instances and can publish their results to SOS instances
3. lightweight REST APIs that simplify the client development and facilitate an easier integration with other Web-based components.

Software for standardized integration of sensor data

• 52°North Sensor Observation Service – implementation of the OGC Sensor Observation Service
• 52°North Sensor Web REST API – lightweight REST API for simple client access to Sensor Observation Services
• SOS4R – R package for importing observations from OGC Sensor Observation Services. The package has been extended in TaMIS to support Sensor Observation Services in version 2.0.0 and to allow insertion of data into Sensor Observation Services from R

Software for integration of prediction modules

• 52°North Web Processing Service – implementation of the OGC Web Processing Service
• 52°North Processing REST API – new implementation of a REST binding for OGC Web Processing Service
• 52°North TaMIS Processing API – lightweight REST API for integrating
• WPS4R – Extension of the 52°North WPS that allows uploading R scripts and publishing them as WPS processes