The Development of the Automatic Discharge Acquisition & Management System (ADAMS) using Ubiquitous Technique

Accurate river discharge is the most important factor in managing river basins and for successfully maintaining total maximum daily loads in Korea. It is not easy to measure the discharge directly in large rivers owing to physical and environmental constraints, even after investing much time and money. Recently, to overcome these historical drawbacks in river discharge measurement, we have developed the Automatic Discharge Acquisition & Management System (ADAMS) that scans the river cross-section and measures each cell $(1m{\times}1m)$ velocity using HADCP. The hardware system is composed of an HADCP sensor and winch, as well as a PC and software system for the discharge calculation module and hardware control module. It is controlled remotely via the internet and uses the velocity-depth integration method and the velocity-contour method for calculating river discharges. The characteristics of ADAMS are a ubiquitously accessible system, featuring real time automatic discharge measurement, remote control via the internet. The results using ADAMS at the Jindong stage site show less than 5% uncertainty and are 4 times more efficient than the ADCP & Q-boat system. This system can be used to measure any large river, river mouth or tributary river affected by backwater, all of which have a very difficult measuring real time discharge. The next generation of ADAMS will feature an upgrade to increase portability and GPS integration.