Method and apparatus for three dimensional dynamic measurements in water system

• US 8,718,939 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamann, Hendrik F., Klein, Levente I., Stepanchuk, Andriy
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLOSS, STEPHANIE E
• Application Number:
  US13/074,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20120253673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 702/2, 367/131, 367/135
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1886 using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys

Abstract

Techniques for measuring one or more physical properties of a water system. A measurement platform is positioned at a first location of a given water system, wherein the measurement platform comprises a plurality of sensor devices distributed over a three dimensional space and configured to acquire data relating to one or more physical properties of the water system. A first set of measurement data is acquired from the water system at the first location via at least a portion of the plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform. The measurement platform is moved along a predetermined path to at least a second location in the water system. At least a second set of measurement data is acquired from the water system at the second location via at least a portion of the plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

positioning a measurement platform at a first location of a given water system, wherein the measurement platform comprises a first plurality of sensor devices distributed over a predetermined three dimensional space on the measurement platform and configured to acquire data relating to one or more physical properties of the water system, and wherein the measurement platform comprises a plurality of three-dimensional quadrilaterals stacked on each other including the first plurality of sensor devices at vertices of the three-dimensional quadrilaterals;

acquiring a first set of measurement data from the water system at the first location via at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform;

moving the measurement platform along a predetermined path to at least a second location in the water system;

acquiring at least a second set of measurement data from the water system at the second location via at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform; and

determining locations of the measurement platform at each of the first and second locations by localization using at least one of a second plurality of sensor devices positioned at an edge of the given water system and a global positioning system (GPS);

tracking temporal variation of the given water system using a plurality of stationary sensor devices;

determining, based on changes in values obtained by the plurality of stationary sensor devices, invalidity of a baseline model representative of one or more physical properties of the given water system; and

updating the baseline model based on the temporal variation, wherein the updating comprises using the changes in the values and locations of the plurality of stationary sensor devices as boundary conditions to interpolate the changes across an entirety of the given water system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an image based on the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data, wherein the image represents the one or more physical properties of the water system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to update a model representative of one or more physical properties of the water system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpolating data representative of one or more physical properties of the water system based on at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement platform is attached to a vehicle that traverses the water system along the predetermined path.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to a computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the measurement platform to variable depth locations in the water system to acquire measurement data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to determine at least one of a temporal variation and a spatial variation in the water system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of sensor devices comprises one or more of a pH sensor, a conductivity sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, a temperature sensor, a turbidity sensor, an oxygen content sensor, a nitric oxide sensor, and a phosphorus sensor.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a frame structure;

a first plurality of sensor devices distributed on the frame structure over a predetermined three dimensional space and configured to acquire data relating to one or more physical properties of a given water system, the frame structure and the first plurality of sensor devices forming a measurement platform, wherein the frame structure comprises a plurality of three-dimensional quadrilaterals stacked on each other including the first plurality of sensor devices at vertices of the three-dimensional quadrilaterals;

wherein the measurement platform is configured to;

(i) be positioned at a first location of the water system;

(ii) acquire a first set of measurement data from the water system at the first location via at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor devices, (iii) be moved along a predetermined path to at least a second location in the given water system; and

(iv) acquire at least a second set of measurement data from the water system at the second location via at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor devices; and

wherein locations of the measurement platform at each of the first and second locations are determined by localization using at least one of a second plurality of sensor devices positioned at an edge of the given water system and a global positioning system (GPS); and

a computer system for;

tracking temporal variation of the given water system using a plurality of stationary sensor devices;

determining, based on changes in values obtained by the plurality of stationary sensor devices, invalidity of a baseline model representative of one or more physical properties of the given water system; and

updating the baseline model based on the temporal variation, wherein the updating comprises using the changes in the values and locations of the plurality of stationary sensor devices as boundary conditions to interpolate the changes across an entirety of the given water system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a computer system for generating an image based on the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data, wherein the image represents the one or more physical properties of the given water system.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a computer system for utilizing at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to update a model representative of one or more physical properties of the given water system.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a computer system for interpolating data representative of one or more physical properties of the given water system based on at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the measurement platform is attached to a vehicle that traverses the water system along the predetermined path.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor devices are configured to transmit the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to a computer system.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the measurement platform is movable to variable depth locations in the water system to acquire measurement data.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a computer system for utilizing at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to determine at least one of a temporal variation and a spatial variation in the given water system.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of sensor devices comprises one or more of a pH sensor, a conductivity sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, a temperature sensor, a turbidity sensor, an oxygen content sensor, a nitric oxide sensor, and a phosphorus sensor.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium having tangibly embodied thereon computer readable program code which, when executed, causes a processor device to:

obtain a first set of measurement data from a given water system acquired at a first location via a measurement platform, wherein the measurement platform is positioned at the first location of the water system and comprises a first plurality of sensor devices distributed over a predetermined three dimensional space on the measurement platform and configured to acquire data relating to one or more physical properties of the water system, and wherein the measurement platform comprises a plurality of three-dimensional quadrilaterals stacked on each other including the first plurality of sensor devices at vertices of the three-dimensional quadrilaterals;

obtain at least a second set of measurement data from the water system at a second location via at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform,

wherein the measurement platform is moved along a predetermined path to the at least a second location in the water system;

determine locations of the measurement platform at each of the first and second locations by localization using at least one of a second plurality of sensor devices positioned at an edge of the given water system and a global positioning system (GPS);

generate an image based on the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data, wherein the image represents the one or more physical properties of the water system;

track temporal variation of the given water system using a plurality of stationary sensor devices;

determine, based on changes in values obtained by the plurality of stationary sensor devices, invalidity of a baseline model representative of one or more physical properties of the given water system; and

update the baseline model based on the temporal variation, wherein the updating comprises using the changes in the values and locations of the plurality of stationary sensor devices as boundary conditions to interpolate the changes across an entirety of the given water system.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code which, when executed, further causes the processor device to utilize at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to update a model representative of one or more physical properties of the water system.

21. The article of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code which, when executed, further causes the processor device to interpolate data representative of one or more physical properties of the water system based on at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data.

22. The article of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code which, when executed, further causes the processor device to utilize at least a portion of the first set of measurement data and the at least a second set of measurement data to determine at least one of a temporal variation and a spatial variation in the water system.