Real-time data is captured and sent in seconds 

Looking inside the cylinder-shaped rain gauge, the device records real-time data using a see-saw ‘tipping bucket’ mechanism. So when one side of the see-saw fills up with water and becomes full, it tips back the other way to fill the other side. Each time it tips it records a millimetre of rain. You can imagine during big rain periods the see saw will be continuously moving back and forth until the rain stops. 

As each millimetre is recorded, the data is immediately sent to our flood operations team and to our five base stations located all over South-East Queensland. The information collected is analysed and reported through to external agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology to help them report on things like rainfall and river conditions. 

 
Source: https://products.kisters.com.au/products/hardware/meteorology/tb3-tipping-bucket-rain-gauge 

A safer and innovative way to report 

The rain gauges have come a long way since they were upgraded in 2018. The old approach was more labour-intensive and posed a few safety hazards for team members working at heights on uneven terrain. 

These days, the gauges are set at hip height and fully kitted out with solar panels, a battery, radio and cellular connection. This means the devices can keep working hard sending data through all types of weather situations and aren't relying on mains power or telecommunication providers to stay online. And if our hydrographers need to troubleshoot any issues, they can easily connect remotely into the device.  

Because South-East Queensland is prone to flooding and has a large population, the region has one of the densest rain gauge networks in Australian. So not only is it important for us to have safer access to them, but the technology also helps us be cost-efficient in sending highly accurate data to our stakeholders.