Demonstration Study on water flow monitoring and prediction services

INTOGENER (INTegration of EO data and GNSS-R signals for ENERgy applications) Demo is a project that aimed to demonstrate the operational capabilities of a water flow monitoring and prediction system for hydropower production and water management organisations. The INTOGENER system combined different technologies: satellite-based Earth Observation (EO) data, in-situ information based on reflected Global Navigation Satellite Signals measured from remote places and transferred by satellite data links, and finally, assimilation of these data into a distributed hydrological model water flow forecast. The INTOGENER demo campaign took place in Chile, where the combination of technologies (EO and non EO data) ensured periodical information based on physical observations rather than on statistics. The INTOGENER Demonstration Project was the result of a feasibility study which was successfully concluded in 2011. Having an accurate forecast of available water flow is crucial for hydropower companies and water management authorities in order to optimise operations and improve efficiency. In the framework of the ESA Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) programme (ARTES element 20), Starlab carried out the second phase of the INTOGENER project, aiming at the development and demonstration of a new, operational, water-flow forecast concept, based on the assimilation of near real time measurements of geophysical parameters into a hydrological model. The system made use of measurements derived both from Earth observation satellites (SAR and optical instruments for the retrieval of snow cover and temperature maps), and from in-situ sensors (for temperature, precipitations, soil moisture, solar radiation, water level). Satellite links were used to transfer information from the field (remote mountainous areas) to the processing centre. During a first phase of the activity, one basin in the Chilean Andes was equipped, and sound predictions were obtained. In partnership with Endesa and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) and with the support of Hispasat and Future Water, Starlab demonstrated the real-time operational capabilities of the system.