Urban Waterlogging Early Warning and Monitoring System Solution
The urban waterlogging early warning and monitoring system targets flood-prone areas such as low-lying road sections, underpasses of overpasses, underground passages, and subway entrances. It deploys non-contact radar water level gauges and visual monitoring equipment to monitor the depth and changing trends of road surface water accumulation in real time. Data is uploaded to the city's flood control command platform via RTU telemetry terminals. The system supports graded early warnings based on water depth, linkage with warning information displays, automatic traffic signal control, and mobile notifications to citizens, effectively reducing casualties and property losses caused by urban waterlogging.
Overview
Summary
The urban waterlogging early warning and monitoring system targets flood-prone areas such as low-lying road sections, underpasses of overpasses, underground passages, and subway entrances. It deploys non-contact radar water level gauges and visual monitoring equipment to monitor the depth and changing trends of road surface water accumulation in real time. Data is uploaded to the city's flood control command platform via RTU telemetry terminals. The system supports graded early warnings based on water depth, linkage with warning information displays, automatic traffic signal control, and mobile notifications to citizens, effectively reducing casualties and property losses caused by urban waterlogging.
Key Advantages
Challenges
- The acceleration of urbanization and the increase in impervious surfaces have led to a surge in stormwater runoff, resulting in frequent urban waterlogging.
- The water depth in low-lying areas such as underpasses and underground passages changes rapidly, making it difficult for manual inspections to detect hazards in a timely manner.
- Traditional water gauge observations have low accuracy and poor timeliness, which cannot meet the demand for minute-level early warning responses.
- The chain for transmitting waterlogging warning information is long, often resulting in vehicles being submerged by the time traffic control measures are implemented after detection.
Results
- Urban Waterlogging Monitoring Project in a Provincial Capital: Deployed radar water level gauges and visual monitoring at 126 flood-prone points, automatically triggered 376 warnings during heavy rain, coordinated the closure of 8 underpass traffic routes, and successfully prevented vehicle water-related accidents.
- Emergency Project for Typhoon Season Waterlogging in a Coastal City: Rapid deployment of 85 monitoring devices within 48 hours, with real-time warning data directly transmitted to the municipal flood control office's large screen and the traffic police command center, reducing warning response time from 45 minutes to 3 minutes.
- A smart drainage project in a new district: Deployed 68 waterlogging monitoring points and 42 pipeline network liquid level monitoring points, combined with weather forecasts to achieve a 2-hour advance prediction of waterlogging depth, improving flood control dispatch efficiency by 80%.
Solution Details
Urban Waterlogging Early Warning and Monitoring System Solution
The Urban Waterlogging Early Warning and Monitoring System Solution is a comprehensive IoT-based infrastructure designed for modern urban flood control and emergency management. It strategically deploys non-contact radar water level gauges and visual monitoring equipment at critical flood-prone locations like underpasses, tunnels, and low-lying roads to enable real-time, minute-level monitoring of water accumulation depth.
This system provides tiered early warnings and coordinates traffic control, forming the essential sensing layer for a city's "Smart Flood Control" initiative. It directly addresses the urgent need for automated, reliable monitoring to protect citizen safety and property during extreme rainfall events.
Background: The Need for Smart Urban Flood Control
Global climate change and rapid urbanization have led to more frequent extreme rainstorm events, making urban waterlogging a significant public safety risk. Statistics indicate that over 200 cities in China face waterlogging disasters annually, with underpasses, tunnels, and subway entrances being particularly vulnerable.
In response, national policies like the "Action Plan for the Construction of Urban Drainage and Flood Control Facilities" mandate the establishment of real-time monitoring and early warning systems. The traditional manual inspection model is no longer sufficient, creating a critical demand for IoT technology to empower proactive and intelligent urban flood control solutions.
System Architecture of the Waterlogging Monitoring Solution
The system is built on a robust, four-layer architecture ensuring seamless data flow from detection to action.
Front-end Sensing
Radar water level gauge, Visual radar, Ultrasonic level sensor, Rain gauge
Data Transmission
Hero V9 RTU terminal, 4G/5G wireless transmission, Solar/Mains power supply
Platform Management
Urban flood control command platform, GIS integrated map, Water accumulation prediction model
Warning Dissemination
LED warning screens, Traffic signal coordination, Mobile push notifications, Broadcast warnings
Core Functions of the Early Warning System
Real-time Water Accumulation Depth Monitoring
Non-contact radar water level gauges are installed above flood-prone points on poles, measuring road surface water depth with high precision. They offer a resolution of 1mm and refresh data up to once per minute.
This non-contact measurement method is completely unaffected by debris, sediment, or oil stains in the water, ensuring reliable data in harsh conditions and minimizing maintenance needs for the water level monitoring system.
Visual Remote Confirmation for Flood Control
The integrated visual radar provides simultaneous high-definition video streams alongside water level data. Flood control commanders can remotely verify the actual on-site waterlogging situation, preventing unnecessary emergency deployments due to false alarms.
Water level data is overlaid directly on the live video feed, creating an authentic and credible visual record that is crucial for effective decision-making in the urban flood control command center.
Four-tier Warning & Automated Traffic Coordination
The system automatically triggers Blue (20cm), Yellow (30cm), Orange (40cm), and Red (50cm) warnings based on real-time water depth. This graded warning system initiates automated responses.
At a Yellow warning, roadside LED warning screens activate with "Waterlogging Ahead, Please Detour" messages. At a Red warning, the system coordinates with traffic signals to close the entrance to the flooded passage, ensuring life safety.
Water Accumulation Prediction & Proactive Dispatch
By combining weather radar rainfall forecasts with historical waterlogging data, AI models predict water accumulation trends for the next 1-3 hours at each monitoring point.
This predictive capability provides vital data support for preemptive decision-making, such as scheduling drainage pump station operations and implementing early traffic control measures before severe flooding occurs.
Typical Deployment Scenarios for Waterlogging Monitoring
Urban Underpasses and Tunnels
Underpasses are severely affected by waterlogging. Radar water level gauges installed beneath the bridge structure coordinate with LED warning screens and barrier gate systems to automatically close the passage when water accumulation exceeds a critical threshold, such as 30cm.
Subway Station Entrances and Exits
Monitoring points around subway entrances trigger automatic alarms before water depth exceeds flood barrier height. This early warning notifies subway operators to initiate emergency measures, effectively preventing rainwater backflow into the subway system.
Low-lying Residential Areas and Communities
Deploying monitoring equipment in low-lying zones of older residential communities allows for simultaneous warning pushes to property management and residents' mobile phones. This enables the early relocation of vehicles and basement supplies, mitigating property loss.
Key Advantages of the Waterlogging Monitoring Solution
Minute-level Response
Fully automated from water detection to warning issuance, ensuring a rapid response to changing flood conditions.
Plug-and-Play Deployment
Solar power combined with 4G transmission eliminates the need for trenching or complex wiring, enabling rapid deployment within 2 hours per site.
Maintenance-free Operation
Non-contact measurement avoids sensor contact with water and debris, preventing blockages and resulting in extremely low long-term maintenance costs.
Life Safety Assurance
Automatically triggers the closure of waterlogged road sections, effectively preventing vehicles and pedestrians from entering dangerous floodwaters.
Detailed Product Features and Specifications
| Monitoring Method | Non-contact radar water level gauge installed on poles above ground, no contact with water. |
| Visual Verification | Integrated radar + HD camera; water level data overlaid on real-time video for remote confirmation. |
| Warning Levels | Four-tier system: Blue (20cm), Yellow (30cm), Orange (40cm), Red (50cm). Automatically triggers alerts and traffic control. |
| Deployment Speed | Solar-powered with 4G wireless transmission. No wiring required; single-point installation completed within 2 hours. |
| Management Platform | GIS one-map management with real-time annotation of all city monitoring points and water depth heatmaps. |
| Alert Dissemination | Multi-channel alerts via command platform, mobile apps, SMS, WeChat, and roadside LED displays. |
Approach
How we implement intelligence into your infrastructure step by step.
Flood Risk Assessment & Mapping
Comprehensive survey of flood-prone areas including underpasses, underground garages, and low-lying zones; establish risk classification
Multi-source Sensing Network
Deploy radar level sensors and rain gauges at flood-prone points; integrate weather forecast data for multi-source monitoring
Warning Platform & Response Coordination
Build urban waterlogging warning platform with tiered alert thresholds and establish coordination with traffic and emergency departments
Emergency Response & Optimization
Develop rapid drainage and traffic diversion plans; post-event review to optimize warning models and response procedures
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