Flood Early Warning Systems
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Another undergraduate researcher and me testing sensors using flume tanks at Imperial College.
The Program
Over the course of eight weeks during the summer before my junior year, I had the amazing opportunity to work at Imperial College of London in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I traveled to London as a part of a departmental exchange between MIT and Imperial College, known as International Research Opportunities Program (IROP). During my time in London, I got to explore the city while working full-time in a research laboratory.
My Lab
I worked in the Environment and Water Resources Engineering (EWRE) sector in the Hydrology and Water Resources group, led by Professor Wouter Buytaert. There is a diverse array of exciting ongoing projects in EWRE; researchers are looking into everything from urban pipe networks to the effects of climate change. Professor Buytaert's group specifically focuses on sustainable water resources management. The research locations include tropical regions of South America, Africa and Asia, as well as places within the UK and Europe. Follow the link to learn more about his group's work.
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My Project
My project was geared toward improving flood prediction in less developed countries in the Himalayan region. I worked with a diverse team of civil, mechanical, and earth science engineers, all of whom had a different role on the project team. Specifically, I worked on developing a model in MATLAB that could accurately and precisely predict wave propagation along a river reach in order to better forecast flood risk for communities that lack sufficient flood forecast information.
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Attending a local football game with other IROP students.
Theoretical Modeling
Most of my project involved constructing a theoretical model in MATLAB that allows users to input river geometries and model waves. The waves could be converted to simulated sensor measurements like ones that would come from sensors in the field. In the last module I created, users input simulated sensor readings to generate an output of flow rate over time. The tool allowed me to compare the real and simulated flow rate in order to improve the accuracy and precision of the model.
A model of flow along a river reach over time during flood scenarios.
Experimental Testing
Working with sensors in field conditions is extremely helpful to test whether they will hold up in field conditions. However, for my experiment, I need to test how my model interacts with data collected in a well-controlled environment. To do so, we collected data in the hydraulics laboratory inside our building at Imperial this week. My labmates and I suspended three sensors over a flume tank and used a wave generator to simulate waves propagating down a river reach. In the last few days of my IROP here, I will get the chance to incorporate the data collected into my model. This will be a great way to merge the theoretical work that I have been doing with experimental research.
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Field Visits
I joined my group on a field trip to rivers around London to install sensors that members of my lab had built. We installed multiple at each location to test data collection capacity and robustness of the sensors. Although I did not get to travel abroad, many members of my group also traveled outside of the country to install sensors and work with local communities who can collect the sensor data. For example, a postdoc in my lab traveled to Tanzania to install sensors on a bridge with the local water managers. Similarly, the PhD student with whom I am working traveled to Somaliland to install sensors in a well, with the help and consent of the community there.
Two of my colleagues helping to install a sensor at a lake outlet on a rural Imperial College campus to test our designs.