Supporting Andel's innovative approach to flood warnings
Led by:
Founded in 1992, Andel has become one of the global market leaders in the design, development and application of specialist flood defence, leak detection and environmental protection systems, with a reputation in its field for innovation and cutting-edge research and development.
The challenge
PROJECT PARTNERS
RAISING THE ALERT, BEFORE A FLOOD IS VISIBLE
Flood defence is the most recent addition to Andel’s areas of expertise. The company has added a number of products to their range, including flood barriers and an innovative and cost-effective flood alert system, which measures ground water levels, surface water levels and water levels in water courses.
Andel have recognised that the first signs of flood are not the ones that we can see on the surface. They wish to add a new product to their flood alert range that would monitor how fast the water is rising in underwater drainage systems and therefore give an earlier warning for potential flood incidents.
The new Andel flood alert system utilises ultrasonic depth sensors to detect changes in water levels, which Andel wished to put through real-world testing to make sure that the system is fit for purpose.
The solution
PROJECT LEAD
Dr Chun Keat Yew,
Technology Research Manager,
Flood Innovation Centre
PROJECT TEAM
Dr Stuart McLelland,
Energy and Environment Institute,
University of Hull
Hiatt Jackson,
Former Technology Research Manager,
Flood Innovation Centre
UTILISING THE SUDSLABUK FOR REAL-WORLD TESTING
The Flood Innovation Centre identified the University of Hull’s SudsLabUK as the ideal location for testing. This campus-wide, living lab for Sustainable Drainage Systems has a sensor network gathering data outputs that create a real-time picture of the hydrological status of the whole campus, captured via a digital dashboard.
Working with Dr Stuart McLelland, the project team developed a plan to install sensors for the flood alert system in different locations, alongside existing SuDSLabUK sensors. This would allow us to test the levels of data connectivity and consistency of data gathered across the different types of sensors and locations.
We integrated Andel’s LoRaWAN network to support the project testing on the University of Hull Library roof. This allowed Andel to ascertain how well the system would receive data on location; how it would cope with real-world barriers such as buildings and manhole covers; and how they would impact the signal strength.
Dr McLelland is working with Andel to help interpret the data and analyse the viability of incorporating ultrasonic measurement devices to Andel’s current system.
“Working with Flood Innovation Centre and the SUDSLabUK project has helped us better understand how to apply LoRaWAN sensors for flood damage mitigation. Our collaboration has given us much-needed access to academic knowledge and network to develop our solution and the market”
Gerbren Haaksma, Flood Defence Sales
2B Landscape Consultancy
The RESULT
HELPING TO ADVANCE ANDEL’S INNOVATION
The project is currently in a data gathering phase. The key impact will come from the provision of an accurate assessment of the new flood alert system’s efficacy in a real-world environment. This will give Andel a greater understanding of the full benefits of the product to the end user, which they will be able to incorporate into the continuous development of their flood alert systems.
