May 2015, Vol. 70, No.5
Newsline
Schneider Electric Keeps Water Utilities One Step Ahead of Water Damage
Schneider Electric announced the new flood management tools now available on its MxVision WeatherSentry Water Edition, a weather management tool specifically designed to help water utilities better anticipate severe weather events.
With Schneider Electric’s new flooding observations and forecasts, thousands of real-time river and ocean water level observations will better inform utilities where high or fast water can impact its operations.
The earth’s changing climate is causing more flooding events and extreme rainfall. To prepare for the likely increase in frequency and severity of devastating floods, the flood management tools of MxVision WeatherSentry Water Edition arm water utilities with aggregated, accurate data that give a more complete picture of conditions. This improved visibility will not only better inform utilities’ decisions, but the real-time data will allow utilities to make faster decisions.
Traditionally, several disparate sources were needed to gather information on the two key factors that determined flood conditions: flooding parameters and weather conditions. Now, all of this information can be integrated and presented in MxVision WeatherSentry’s Water Edition dashboard that provides a clear, real-time snapshot of the environment.
When monitoring conditions for potential flooding, a clear understanding of three most important parameters is critical: water level, tide prediction and wave height. MxVision WeatherSentry Water Edition now gives water treatment managers the ability to set alert parameters and be notified whenever one of these factors crosses a threshold that triggers a response.
Tide prediction: Tide predictions are based on the gravitational force of the moon and sun acting on large bodies of water at a given time. These are especially helpful when severe weather and rainfall are approaching, as the tide can significantly impact the severity of conditions. For example, a storm that hits at low tide may not require the same level of preparation and resources as a storm that arrives at high tide.
Water level: The measurement of a body of water’s level is an obvious factor when determining the likelihood of a flood, but quick access to accurate readings may be difficult. MxVision WeatherSentry Water Edition uses water level observations from thousands of ocean buoys and river gauges alongside other high-impact weather information such as radar and local storm reports to accurately and timely plot water level, providing water treatment managers with a real-time, geographic representation of high-impact ocean tides and river depths for the best situational awareness possible. In addition, hourly forecasts of ocean water levels give critical guidance on where large-scale weather patterns will have an impact on tide levels in the future. This pinpoints specific times of day where a normal tide may be higher than expected due to strong storms and winds.
Wave height: Not only should a water utility have the technology that indicates exactly when high tide will occur and its level, but it should also understand wave conditions during that time to better predict how communities and infrastructure may be impacted. High waves may have little impact if predicted during low tide. If these same abnormally high waves occur during high tide, it may have a much larger impact and will direct the size and type of barriers needed.
MxVision WeatherSentry Water Edition now allows utilities to improve flood preparation and response with its customized alerts and colorized river stage and discharge observations. Water treatment managers can see real-time ocean water levels, river stage, and river discharge observations as map layers. Hourly ocean water levels and wave height forecasts and alerts help them determine the impact on the utility’s critical assets. Additionally, managers can stay alert of developing threats with ocean tide predictions by utilizing the software’s hourly and daily forecasts — up to 15 days in advance.
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