Abstract
With climate change and urban development, water systems are changing faster than ever. Currently, the ecological status of water systems is still judged based on single point measurements, without taking into account the spatial and temporal variability of water quality and ecology. There is a need for better and more dynamic monitoring methods and technologies. Aquatic drones are becoming accessible and intuitive tools that may have an important role in water management. This paper describes the outcomes, field experiences and feedback gathered from the use of underwater drones equipped with sensors and video cameras in various pilot applications in The Netherlands, in collaboration with local water managers. It was observed that, in many situations, the use of underwater drones allows one to obtain information that would be costly and even impossible to obtain with other methods and provides a unique combination of three-dimensional data and underwater footage/images. From data collected with drones, it was possible to map different areas with contrasting vegetation, to establish connections between fauna/flora species and local water quality conditions, or to observe variations of water quality parameters with water depth. This study identifies opportunities for the application of this technology, discusses their limitations and obstacles, and proposes recommendation guidelines for new technical designs.
Highlights
The adequate use, management and conservation of water and soil resources are crucial to human and ecological survival
Different monitoring setups consisting of different types of underwater drones combined with water quality sensors and cameras were tested in the field (Section 2.1) for applications in water management and environmental monitoring activities, and efforts were made to involve water managers in the different stages of research
The insights gained by using underwater drones as a mobile monitoring system showed that, in many cases, these tools are a valuable complement to other methods, as it provides a unique combination of three-dimensional data and underwater footage/images collection
Summary
The adequate use, management and conservation of water and soil resources are crucial to human and ecological survival. The monitoring of water quality, soil and ecology is important for the understanding, modeling and prediction of hydrological processes, and to ensure adequate environmental management and decision-making, to face the different challenges and problems in each region [3,4]. Water 2020, 12, 1196 regulations (e.g., water framework directive) require extensive monitoring and the classification of water bodies based on environmental indicators, and set high standards to comply with [5,6]. Data accessibility and readiness for use is crucial to enable real-time water management [7]. There is a growing demand for innovative and efficient methods and approaches that can take advantage of the high potential of new technologies that are increasingly accessible to professionals from different areas [8]
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