An automated system to detect flash floods and alert at-risk communities

Abstract

This thesis describes an automated monitoring station designed to detect flash floods occurring in the Rio Aguan river basin, Honduras. An Atmel microcontroller polls a series of sensors in the river, logging all data for later hydrological analysis and modeling. A high-power APRS radio is used to alert a central monitoring facility of impending floods. Careful component choices and power management allows the system to run for 100 days on a single deep-cycle marine battery or practically indefinitely using a supplemental solar panel.