Development and Performance of a Static Pluviometer System

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-cost, maintenance-free static rain gauge using resistive sensing technology, suitable for long-term rainfall monitoring, especially in developing countries, and compares its performance with an industry-standard device.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, inexpensive static pluviometer system that operates for 6-12 months without maintenance and performs comparably to commercial rain gauges.

Findings

The system operates effectively for 6-12 months without maintenance.

Performance data is statistically comparable to industry-standard gauges.

Designed for cost-effective and sustainable rainfall monitoring in developing regions.

Abstract

As the frequency and severity of climate-related events such as droughts, floods, and water scarcity continue to escalate, accurate rainfall monitoring becomes increasingly critical. This paper covers various industry methods of measuring rainfall as well as our own ground pluviometer system. Our system consists of an inexpensive static rain gauge that can operate for approximately six to twelve months without maintenance. It utilizes resistive sensing technology accompanied by a microcontroller to measure the water level depth from the device vessel, recording rainfall at an hourly rate. This study also provides a side-by-side comparison of our pluviometer system with an industry rain gauge, the MeteoRain 200 Compact, from Barani Systems, with the differences in data being statistically insignificant. By prioritizing cost, sustainability, simplicity, ease of maintenance, and assembly, this research contributes to essential rainfall monitoring solutions, specifically for developing countries.