Real Time Flood Monitoring System

Natural disasters caused by flooding can have a tremendous impact on people and the environment.  Flooding in Alberta, Canada during the summer of 2013 provides a recent example of the incredibly destructive power of extreme flood events.  The unpredictable nature of flood events presents a significant challenge for industries that have facilities on or near major watercourses, including the pipeline industry.  BGC has developed a real-time flood monitoring system for the pipeline industry to help manage the risk associated with floods at pipeline watercourse crossings.

 BGC’s Geomatics team provided substantial support to the monitoring system, including developing and maintaining hydrometric tools that allow clients to monitor flows in rivers and streams at pipeline watercourse crossings using real-time data from a network of publically available streamflow gauge stations.  The system also allows warning alerts to be delivered when measured flows exceed defined thresholds, real-time flood monitoring and warning alerts are provided via a user-friendly web interface.

BGC’s clients are now able to make operational decisions that impact pipelines with the aid of real-time hydrometric data.