On site environmental modeling and monitoring: the Nordic Scenario in HYDROSYS project

Environmental modeling represents a common method for improving the understanding of environmental phenomena and most of the times is carried out off site. The high computational requirements of environmental models coupled with large amounts of spatial data are the main causes for this situation. Conducting environmental simulations by means of environmental models on-site represents a challenge but with recent advances in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and development of affordable smart hand-held devices new possibilities are opening. The work presented in this paper is related to the HYDROSYS project1 and is linked to the Nordic scenario located in south of Finland. The goal of the project is to provide end-users with advanced on-site and on-line spatial analysis tools for the purpose of environmental modeling. Thus, we have integrated a 1D hydraulic model with WSN and environmental modeling. This allows end users to carry out environmental simulation on-site almost in real time using smart clients improving their understanding in respect to environmental phenomena. The setup has a big potential for environmental management and decision support and could be highly exploited by environmental managers and specialists.