Date of Award:

12-2025

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Jeffery S. Horsburgh

Committee

Jeffery S. Horsburgh

Committee

Steve Petruzza

Committee

Sierra Young

Abstract

This thesis introduces a modern and automated method for monitoring rivers and streams using cameras and cloud-based software tools. Traditional monitoring methods often rely on sensors placed directly in the water, which can be expensive, hard to install, and difficult to maintain, especially in remote or rough terrain. In contrast, this approach uses cameras to observe water flow from a distance, offering a safer and more cost-effective alternative. However, camera systems come with their own challenges, such as collecting large amounts of image data, transferring it reliably from the field, and analyzing it quickly enough to be useful. This research addresses those challenges by developing a complete solution made up of two connected parts. The first part is focused on operations at the monitoring site, where images are captured automatically and sent to online storage in a consistent and organized way. This system was tested at real stream monitoring locations and worked smoothly for months, successfully collecting and delivering thousands of images without missing data. The second part is focused on analyzing the images. Once an image arrives in storage, it is automatically processed using computer vision to identify and measure areas of water in the scene. The information is then saved in a database, along with time and location details, so it can be used to understand river conditions over time. The entire system works without the need for constant human involvement and does not require any dedicated physical infrastructure beyond the camera and the datalogger used to capture the images. It is designed to be affordable and easily expandable to more sites as needed. By combining automated image collection with cloud-based analysis, this work offers a practical way for scientists and agencies to monitor rivers more efficiently. It provides a dependable and cost-effective alternative to traditional monitoring methods and helps support better decision making about water resources.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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