Dam water remote monitoring tech launched

Internet of Things (IoT) satellite connectivity expert, Myriota, and water management solutions provider, Yabby, have joined forces to launch an innovative dam water monitoring solution that allows dam operators to keep an eye on water levels and quality remotely.

Manual monitoring is costly, prone to safety hazards and provides limited data resulting in significant water loss, quality issues and regulatory problems.

The Yabby Floating Level Sensor is built on Myriota’s nanosatellite IoT platform and has been designed to help operators identify and manage safety, regulatory and water use issues associated with dams and storages in the mining and agricultural sectors.

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According to Myriota, the sensor is able to provide a range of information such as water levels, volumes, water balance and water quality. It is also capable of pinpointing issues long before they become problematic and removes the need for workers to drive long distances across mining and farm sites, the company added.

The Yabby sensors communicate with Myriota’s constellation of nanosatellites to provide regular, accurate updates on water conditions from day one. According to Myriota, the technology is able to save mining operators $A70,000 per dam site annually. For a mining site that has 15 sensors, this equates to $AU1 million in annual savings by removing the need for manual site visits.

Myriota CEO and co-founder, Dr Alex Grant, said the Yabby Floating Level Sensor is an industry first.

“For decades, dams have been manually monitored, with the process causing inaccuracies in reporting data due to highly variable dam levels caused by changing inflows, evaporation, infiltration and water use,” he said.

“Additionally, not all the water depth could be monitored as the measurements are generally taken near the shore. The misreporting of such data can contribute to the failure of dams or an unlawful discharge and damage to the environment.”

“Now, satellite IoT connectivity is creating the consistency that’s long been missing. The Myriota enabled Yabby Floating Level Sensor is easy to install, able to withstand harsh weather conditions, and can last for five years before the batteries require changing.”

Yabby Managing Director, Steve Dudgeon, said the Yabby sensor has already been adopted by many companies across Australia and is delivering strong results for its customers.

“Mining operators and farmers no longer need to pay the cost of sending staff to dams to take manual measurements, with the technology able to easily identify and predict potential issues.”

Myriota and Yabby plans to roll out the technology internationally, specifically across the ditch to New Zealand, as well as in the United States and Canada.

Key features of the Myriota Certified Yabby Floating Level Sensor include:

The Yabby Floating Level Sensor is available for mining via distributor, Seam Surveys, as well as directly from Yabby.

Earlier this year, Myriota, in conjunction with agtech company Goanna Ag, launched the GoRain and GoTank systems to help farmers monitor water tank levels and rain data remotely via their mobile devices.