Vietnam receives support for smart sensors to combat flooding
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) awarded a $400,000 grant to Griffith University researchers to develop a network of energy-efficient smart sensors that will help Vietnam combat flooding.
The project aims to create a web of micro-sensors spread throughout Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City to monitor flood levels in real-time. Associate Professor Dzung Dao, Head of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design, is leading the project along with Saigon Hi-Tech Park Labs and the University of Southern Queensland.
Dao noted that HCM City, which is the largest city in Vietnam, faces weekly deluges of floodwater that severely impacts more than 60% of its citizens and causes severe economic loss every year. The first step to overcoming the problem is developing a sensory system throughout the city that monitors water levels to find out exactly where and when it is flooding.
Several flood detection systems have been tried in the past, but as these used cameras and conventional sensors and communication systems they were costly and had power consumption issues, he noted.
Samaya Dharmaraj
