Hydrosys

Advanced spatial analysis tools for on-site environmental monitoring and management.

Public media

This page holds some information for the general public, including a basic introduction to the project, and some downloads like images and videos. Go ahead and check it out!

What is HYDROSYS?

HYDROSYS is a research project funded by the European Commission.

What are you doing in this project?

Around 15 researchers from Finland, the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Austria are working on providing a system infrastructure to support teams of users in the on-site monitoring and management of environmental processes. While using small computers or cell phones, users will be able to access and visualize up to date information on a variety of aspects that can be used to understand the processes at hand. Such processes, or events, could be an avalanche, a flooding, or chemical polution. Within the project, we have several sites in Switzerland and Finland were people are going with handheld devices to monitor such events. Information can take any form, from simple text up to the visualization of complex 3D models, all depending on the need of the user.

Is that really useful?

We certainly believe so! The events we are monitoring are processes that can cause a lot of trouble. With the current pressure on our ecosystem, we see an increasing number of severe problems that have a great social and economic impact, be it the damage that is caused or the people that get hurt. Observing these problems in the office, as it currently occurs, is not always enough to understand these processes - with the usage of handheld devices, we hope we can help analysing and predicting environmental in a better way, supporting the process of taking appropriate countermeasures to avoid environmental degradation. The current feedback we got from end-users is very promising, which supports our assumptions!

How does it work?

To create the information accessed by the user, we need to capture as much data as possible. Hence, the consortium has installed a large number of sensors at different sites in the Alps and Finland. These sensors, which can be around 150 for a small site, generate data on many environmental aspects, such as temperature, moisture, or specific chemical substances. Next to the environmental data, we also require detailed geographic information, being terrain models and highly detailed textures. This data is required to create detailed 3D models and running simulations; the data is partly captured by a 7 meter blimp (a zeppelin) which we operate with several cameras mounted below. After the data is captured, it is sent to a storage and processing server over network. Here, it is checked and processed, among others by running complex simulations. The results of the simulations provide users with highly useful information to make apt predictions on processes. The final stage is where the actual action happens: in the field.

What are you doing in the field?

Equipped with wearable devices such as ultraportable computers or cell phones, users can select and view various kinds of information and observe it in the actual context, namely there where things happen. The �information in its actual context� is one of the key factors of the system. To define the context around the user, we need to define the accurate position - supported by a user localization system construction on the back of a vehicle, we are able to do so in a highly detailed manner. After selecting the information, it is sent to the user over cellphone or even specially set up network connections. Once the information is received, the actual observation and interpretation of environmental processes starts... Users can see a wide variety of sensor data (around 25 different kinds of sensors)in 2D, 3D or as "video overlay". The latter is also known as "augmented reality", where we show digital data on the right spot in a video stream: so, if we have sensor data from a river, it will also be shown close to the river. Seeing the information in its direct context will ease the understanding of the data: the user can immediately see where the possibly abstract data refers to.

Is this something for me?

We are developing the HYDROSYS system with a wide range of potential users in mind. Environmental researchers, sensor companies, municipalities, and even the general public should be able to benefit from the system. Due to the technical restrictions of the system, it depends on the level of resources and support. Whereas we aim to offer cell phone applications that can be operated in a rather simple way, the more advanced systems require preparation and a number of devices. The consortium is highly interested to see the system getting deployed, so feel free to contact us via the website to see what is possible!

That sounds interesting! Can I be kept up to date?

Definately! Just check our blog once in a while and you'll see what we are up to!

Do you have something I can print?

Yes we do! You can find a flyer here

I am very interested - Can I get a demo?

Sure you can. Just contact us and we will show you what we are working on. We also have public demonstrations every once in a while. Check the blog for announcements.