Automatic Data Acquisition Systems (ADAS) for Dam and Levee Monitoring

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ADAS (Automatic Data Acquisition Systems) are electronic devices used to automatically read, store and transmit measurements from geotechnical, environmental and structural sensors used for monitoring dams and levees. Because of the specificity of the conditions of their deployment in outdoor, spread-out and sometimes harsh conditions, ADAS used for those applications need to have a number of features and functionalities which are discussed in the paper. The paper will be limited to ADAS for monitoring static measurements, as opposed to systems for dynamic measurements such as accelerations due to earthquakes. Low power consumption, robustness, modularity, ease of deployment, diversified network configurations between units such as line , star and tree networks, a wide variety of telemetry options such as radio and cell modems are all features that are essential for a successful deployment in the field. The paper covers the features that are nowadays mainstream on available solutions for ADAS for dams and levee monitoring, including discussions on network configurations, power supply options, network access options and real-time monitoring. The advent of low-power low-cost radios that open the possibility of eliminating all surface cable runs on dams and levees is also discussed.