In Małopolska region we completed the installation of 92 innovative measuring devices within our FLOPRES project across 3 municipalities:
- 21 water level sensors,
- 71 additional measuring devices, including rain gauges, air temperature sensors, and soil moisture meters.
The installation of the sensors is part of a comprehensive effort to build a coherent system to support flood risk management and flash flood warning in the pilot catchment areas in Slovakia’s Prešov self-governing region and Małopolska region in Poland.
In October 2024, sensors were installed on the Roztoczanka stream flowing through the small village of Roztoka-Brzeziny in the municipality of Gródek nad Dunajcem – 5 of them are classic water-level sensors, measuring the water level in the river, mounted on booms, and 3 are special hubs comprising devices that measure rainfall, air temperature and soil moisture – factors whose knowledge is necessary for predicting catchments behaviour.
In February 2025, sensors were installed on the Bibiczanka stream, which flows through the municipality of Zielonki and into Kraków, and on the neighbouring Garliczka stream. 16 water-level sensors and 7 hubs were installed in the catchment areas of both rivers.
The FLOPRES system works based on data obtained from monitoring watercourses, soil and air with installed sensors, acting as elements of the IoT – the Internet of Things (IoT). The system also uses meteorological forecasting and hydrological modelling methods. It can provide real-time information on the current climatic, hydrological, and soil moisture conditions in a given area, as well as warn about the risk of flash floods.
By combining and integrating the data obtained from IoT sensors, a comprehensive picture of the water management in a given area is obtained, allowing for a more accurate prediction of possible floods. An early-warning system will enable emergency management services to take appropriate action and, as a result, better manage the risks arising from adverse hydrometeorological phenomena.