Canal Control

Automated Monitoring & Control

Canal Control

Campbell Scientific offers systems for unattended monitoring and control of diversions, canals, and laterals. Our systems monitor water distribution by measuring water level or flow. We can help you manage water distribution by controlling gates, pumps, and other devices based on time of day, conditions, or measured parameters. Stations can call district personnel to report changing conditions via cellphones or pagers. Key components of our systems are data loggers, sensors, and communications devices, customised for every site.

System Benfits

  1. Unattended control can be based on time or measured parameters.
  2. Wireless communication allows remote control of gates and other devices.
  3. Communications options include: phone, cellphone, radio, and satellite (DCP).
  4. A voice message can call out to a cellphone reaching district personnel within range.
  5. Multiple channel types measure nearly every available sensor, including shaft encoders, bubblers, and pressure transducers.
  6. Onboard mathematical capabilities provide onsite data processing.
  7. Batteries and solar panels allow long-term, remote operation or continued power in case of ac outage.

Data Loggers

Campbell Scientific systems are cost-effective. We build data loggers that have wide operating temperature ranges and directly interface to a large variety of sensors. Our loggers feature low power consumption and can operate using batteries that are recharged with solar panels or ac power. They can even operate directly from alkaline D-cell batteries.

Versatility allows programmable scan rates, measurement types, and data recording intervals. Onsite data reduction is accomplished using onboard mathematical and statistical algorithms. You can choose the units (cfs, psi, feet, inches, meters) in which you want your data reported or stored. As your electronic monitoring program grows, our data loggers are expandable using multiplexers and other peripherals. Additional stations are easily added to a network.

Sensors

Many new regulations require measurement of water quality and meteorological parameters. We can help you add these sensors to your gauging stations, or instrument new sites using single parameter or multiple-parameter probes.

Communications

You can view what's happening at your gauging stations or diversions from one screen at your home or office computer, or call the station(s) from your vehicle. We offer multiple telecommunication options to transmit data. Our standard options include satellite (DCP), RF, telephone, cellphone, and voice-synthesized phone, but we can also do SCADA and microwave systems. Communication devices can be used together, such as phone-RF combinations, or RF sites being used as repeaters for stations farther away from your base station. We can help you determine what will work best for your application.

Software

We provide software to simplify the entire monitoring and control process, from programming to data retrieval, data display, and data analysis. Our software automates data collection from one or many monitoring stations. Real-time or historical data can be viewed easily, or exported as ASCII files for further processing by spreadsheets, databases, or analysis programs. Robust error-checking ensures your data arrives uncorrupted. We can even help you post your data to the Internet for all interested parties to view.

Measuring Level

Because not every site is the same, our data loggers can measure multiple types of sensors. Whether measuring water level in a stilling well with a shaft encoder or on a river with a bubbler, we can help you match accuracy and reliability requirements to your budget. Multiple channel types enable our data loggers to read nearly every commercially available sensor, allow stations to be customised for each installation, and let you take advantage of sensors that you may already own. For new installations, we offer a variety of water level sensors that feature low drift and high reliability.