Use of a Raspberry-Pi Video Camera for Coastal Flooding Vulnerability Assessment: The Case of Riccione (Italy)

Coastal monitoring is strategic for the correct assessment of nearshore morphodynamics, to verify the effects of anthropogenic interventions for the purpose of coastal protection and for the rapid assessment of flooding vulnerability due to severe events. Remote sensing and field surveys are among the main approaches that have been developed to meet these necessities. Key parameters in the assessment and prevision of coastal flooding extensions, beside meteomarine characteristics, are the topography and slope of beaches, which can be extremely dynamic. The use of continuous monitoring through orthorectified video images allows for the rapid detection of the intertidal bathymetry and flooding threshold during severe events. The aim of this work was to present a comparison of different monitoring strategies and methodologies that have been integrated into repeated surveys in order to evaluate the performance of a new camera system. We used a low-cost camera based on Raspberry Pi called VISTAE (Video monitoring Intelligent STAtion for Environmental applications) for long-term remote observations and GNSS-laser tools for field measurements. The case study was a coastal tract in Riccione, Italy (Northern Adriatic Sea), which is the seat of nourishment interventions and of different types of underwater protection structures to combat coastal erosion. We performed data acquisition and analysis of the emerged beach and of the swash zone in terms of the intertidal bathymetry and shoreline. The results show a generally good agreement between the field and remote measurements through image processing, with a small discrepancy of the order of ≈0.05 m in the vertical and ≈1.5 m in the horizontal in terms of the root mean square error (RMSE). These values are comparable with that of current video monitoring instruments, but the VISTAE has the advantages of its low-cost, programmability and automatized analyses. This result, together with the possibility of continuous monitoring during daylight hours, supports the advantages of a combined approach in coastal flooding vulnerability assessment through integrated and complementary techniques

Sostenibilit\ue0 dei sistemi idrici urbani: l\u2019approccio del progetto TRUST

\uc8 noto che l\u2019inquinamento, l\u2019impermeabilizzazione del suolo e gli effetti dei cambiamenti climatici, rendono disponibile per il consumo una quantit\ue0 di acqua sempre minore. Inoltre, molti paesi stanno registrando una consistente \u201curbanizzazione\u201d della popolazione con notevoli implicazioni sul ciclo idrologico. A ci\uf2 si somma il progressivo invecchiamento delle strutture e, talvolta, la scarsa chiarezza nelle norme che regolano il settore. Questi fattori di criticit\ue0 concorrono ad evidenziare la necessit\ue0 di una svolta verso un uso pi\uf9 sostenibile delle risorse idriche. Tale svolta si pu\uf2 realizzare attraverso la modernizzazione delle infrastrutture, degli strumenti normativi e delle consuetudini. Recentemente, la ricerca ha prodotto numerose opzioni tecniche sostenibili, a partire dalla possibilit\ue0 di ridurre gli sprechi fino al riutilizzo dell\u2019acqua, che coprono gran parte del ciclo idrico in ambito urbano. Tuttavia esse stentano a trovare una loro realizzazione pratica per la mancanza di sperimentazione e per l\u2019assenza di norme capaci di promuoverne l\u2019uso. Per contribuire a colmare queste lacune, l\u2019UE ha finanziato, nell\u2019ambito del 7\ub0 programma quadro, il progetto TRUST - TRansition to the Urban water Services of Tomorrow. TRUST si pone come obiettivo di individuare, attraverso la ricerca e la sperimentazione di campo, delle soluzioni tecnologiche e di coordinamento delle azioni, finalizzate al raggiungimento della sostenibilit\ue0 idrica in ambito urbano

A procedure based on performance indicators in water distribution system for the identification of scenarios in terms of water losses reduction and structural improvement

Water loss reduction in water distribution networks WDNs can be obtained by means different methods and technologies. Anyway in many cases utilities have an insufficient interest to reduce water losses because the low production cost of drinkable water and because normally the environmental costs is not considered, also for the difficulties of evaluation. An increment in actual or further water requested can lead to infrastructures insufficiency of parts of the supply system. The reduction of the water losses should be valued in a joined perspective to WDN structural adjustments: the cost of the unit volume of water leakage becomes greater than the unit volume production cost and the water losses reduction can become more attractive. Because of the numerous possibilities in actions and effects, it can be necessary to identify a certain number of scenarios, successively subjected to technical and economical evaluation. The final procedure is based on a set of WDN Performance Indicators PIs for the generation of intervention scenarios in terms of water losses reduction and structural improvements. The objective is to give indication to combine in the most opportune way typology and intensity of each intervention

Analisi degli indicatori di prestazione relativi alle perdite idriche basata su logica bayesiana

La salvaguardia della frazione della risorsa idrica, preziosa e limitata, che può essere destinata al consumo umano, impone la ricerca di modalità che consentano di caratterizzare i sistemi acquedottistici nei confronti dello spreco, in particolare delle perdite idriche. La definizione di indicatori di prestazione adeguati consente di fornire una stima del livello di perdita attuale ed in prospettiva l’individuazione di un livello a cui tendere quale obiettivo futuro, e ciò sulla base di valutazioni gestionali, economiche o di disposizioni dell’ente di controllo. Nella memoria viene illustrato lo stato dell’arte per quanto attiene gli indicatori di prestazione relativi alla tematica delle perdite idriche, in senso stretto. Si esaminano anche alcuni aspetti collegabili con le perdite idriche, evidenziando, attraverso un’analisi critica, quelle che sembrano essere le carenze da colmare nella descrizione generale delle prestazioni. Viene proposta infine una metodologia di analisi aggregata degli indicatori di prestazione. L’approccio, basato su logica bayesiana, è finalizzato all’individuazione di aree “gestionali”, rappresentative delle implicazioni collegate alle perdite idriche, sulle quali fornire una valutazione della prestazione d’insieme

Simulation of a storm sewer network in industrial area: comparison between models calibrated through experimental data

The purpose of this article is to test the performance of two commercial models for the simulation of sewer systems (InfoWorks, developed by Wallingford Ltd and Mouse, developed by DHI), basing on the experimental data sampled in a 1.15 ha watershed located near Bologna, Italy. The experimental catchment is part of a truck transit and parking area, completely asphalt paved and drained into a first flush tank. Hydrologic and water quality data collected for almost 8 months inside the tank have been used to calibrate the models through a trial and error procedure for both quantity and quality aspects. A sensitivity analysis for the most relevant quality-quantity parameters has also been performed, testing therefore the behaviour of these models in a small impervious watershed and their reliability as a support tool in the design phase

A GIS based approach to assess the vulnerability of water distribution systems

It is a fact that water distribution systems in most European cities are reaching the end of their lifetime; pipe breaks and leaks have had a significant increase in the last years, and there is no evident reason for the future trend to be inverted in the short-term horizon. The history of water networks rehabilitation leans on the so called re-active approach: first the failure occurs, then comes the intervention. Efforts are recently being undertaken in order to establish a rational framework for maintenance decision-making in water distribution systems, based on a new logic: a rehabilitation carried out before the problem takes place is to be preferred, thanks to its higher effectiveness and to the troubles it is able to prevent rather than cure (pro-active approach). European projects developed during the 5th Framework Programme focused on water asset management (CARE-S and CARE-W) have been looking at risk in terms of economic, social and environmental probability of failure considering that system knowledge is a pre-requisite for obtaining an efficient system management. Nevertheless, the experience demonstrated that availability of data is sometimes the first problem to be addressed and the application of advanced management approaches is sometimes unfeasible because of the lack of a long term monitoring strategy. Data on failure paths in urban networks is piecemeal and not available for feeding complex risk based approaches and a complete damage analysis is not practical (multi-objective approaches; Failure Modes and Effects Analysis; etc.). In reality, risk and its perception permeate the decision making process and, providing better insights of the system, the use of advanced technologies will be able to better support informed decision making about system management and rehabilitation, empowering the existing tools and approaches. As a consequence of our past experiences in applying decision support systems to Italian case studies, the aim of this study was to move backwards: starting from a typical Italian case study, we defined what can be evaluated, analysed or calculated according to what can be obtained from end \u2013 users in terms of data quality and quantity. The selected case study is a drinking water system supplying 140.000 inhabitants with a 2200 m3/h water demand and a 700 km length: Reggio Emilia town located in the northern part of Italy

Uncertainty in design and management of sewer systems

Loads acting on urban drainage systems are intrinsically uncertain, and often known with limited details given their physical complexity. External loads include climate variables, which have a naturally mutable behavior, exacerbated by climate change. Other system variables, such as roughness of surfaces and soil permeability, are normally unknown and only partially measurable. Additional sources of uncertainty derive from the transposition of the physical system into numerical models, routinely used to make predictions about real systems and their design and management. We discuss uncertainty in design and management of sewer systems, and how to cope with it

A GIS based approach to assess the vulnerability of water distribution systems

It is a fact that water distribution systems in most European cities are reaching the end of their lifetime; pipe breaks and leaks have significant increased in the last few years, and there is no evident reason for the future trend to be inverted in the short-term horizon. The history of water networks rehabilitation leans on the so called reactive approach: first the failure occurs, then comes the intervention. Efforts are recently being undertaken in order to establish a rational framework for maintenance decisionmaking in water distribution systems, based on a new logic: a rehabilitation carried out before the problem takes place is to be preferred, thanks to its higher effectiveness and to the troubles it is able to prevent rather than cure (pro-active approach). Nevertheless, the experience demonstrated that availability of data is sometimes the first problem to be addressed and the application of advanced management approaches is sometimes unfeasible because of the lack of a long term monitoring strategy. Information about the asset and the surrounding environment are often available at the municipality archive, but not recorded in a way to be directly applied for maintenance actions planning. The aim of this study was to develop a simple but feasible model to assess the vulnerability of an Italian water distribution systems suitable with the level of data available: starting from a typical Italian case study, we defined what can be evaluated, analysed or calculated according to what can be obtained from the Utility in terms of data quality and quantity. The selected case study is the drinking water system of Reggio Emilia, located in the northern part of Italy, managed by ENIA SpA. Tonino Liserra, Rita Ugarelli, Vittorio Di Federico and Marco Maglionico in this paper, after an introduction on asset managements practice, state the definition of reliability variable and criticality index applied in order to run a simplify vulnerability model and presents the results achieved in Reggio Emilia up to this stage of development