NETLAKE >> Deployment Toolbox

Deployment Toolbox

  • A low cost option for a platform
  • Cost considerations
  • Lightning protection applied to a floating platform
  • Power options
  • Communications options
  • What to consider for buoy weather stations?
  • How deep to deploy?
  • How frequently should we measure?
  • Security issues
  • What to do about ice cover?
  • Sensor considerations
  • Station maintenance
  • How to moor a long term station

Are you interested in setting up automatic monitoring for a waterbody, but don’t know where to start?  Start here!

This set of guidelines provides useful information on the practicalities of deploying and maintaining automatic monitoring stations (AMS) in lakes and reservoirs.  The guidelines have been developed and reviewed by members of the NETLAKE group who have many years’ experience in automatic monitoring.  The subject areas were chosen after a NETLAKE member-wide survey, where people were asked about the main stumbling blocks to setting up their AMS.  Before you start, however, we suggest you should ask yourself some questions, the answers to which will help you design your AMS and decide on its form and function: Why do you want to conduct high frequency monitoring (HFM)? How much time and technical support do you have? Do you have GPRS coverage? Where will you put it? What is the bathymetry of the waterbody in question like? What depth of water is there? What is the prevailing wind direction? Will there be security issues? Is the water body used for water abstraction? The factsheets below can then help you to answer some of your practical questions. 

Each of the 14 factsheets can be downloaded separately using the tabbed links.  Or the full set of factsheets can be downloaded from the final tab.

Factsheet 001 Options for buoy design

In this factsheet, we describe some of the options that can be used to house an automatic monitoring station (AMS) on a lake.

Buoy design

Suggested citation: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. 2016. Options for buoy design (Factsheet 001). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 2-6. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1931

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Factsheet 002 Cost Options

In this factsheet, we describe some of the cost options that will determine your buoy configuration.

Cost considerations

Suggested citation: de Eyto, E., Laas, A., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. 2016. Cost options (Factsheet 002). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 7-9. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1932.

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Factsheet 003 How to deploy a low cost option

In this factsheet, we describe how to deploy a low cost option for a lake automatic monitoring station that has been successfully deployed on several NETLAKE and GLEON sites in Europe.

Suggested citation: Laas, A., Pierson, D., de Eyto, E. and Jennings, E. 2016. How to deploy a low cost option (Factsheet 003). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 10-13. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1933.

Factsheet 004: How top moor a long term station

In this factsheet, we describe three examples of how to moor an automatic monitoring station. It includes considerations such as: Depth of water; Likely wind speeds and direction; Longevity of deployment (days or years?); total weight of equipment; Buoyancy of the platform; Cost; Ease of access (how big or small a boat can you use for the deployment?).

Mooring a buoy

Suggested citation: de Eyto, E., Cooney, J., Doyle, B., Flaim, G., Laas, A., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. 2016. How to moor a long term station (Factsheet 004). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 14-18. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1934.

Factsheet 005: How to protect against lightning

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide some practical advice on how to minimize potentially destructive effects of lightning and lightning induced voltage transients.

Lightening protection applied to a buoy

Suggested citation: Pierson, D., de Eyto, E., Laas, A., and Jennings, E. 2016. How to cope with lightning (Factsheet 006). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 19-23. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1935.

Factsheet 006: Power supply options

In this factsheet, we describe some of the power supply options for your automated monitoring system (AMS). These range from stand-alone sensors with internal batteries to solar panels which continuously charge batteries that are external to the sensors. We also describe how to simply calculate your AMS power consumption.

Solar panels

Suggested citation: de Eyto, E., Laas, A., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. 2016. Power supply options (Factsheet 006). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 24-27. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1936.

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Factsheet 007: Communications

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide some advice on the available methods to communicate with and retrieve data from your automated monitoring system.

Communications

Suggested citation: Pierson, D., de Eyto, E., Laas, A., and Jennings, E. 2016. Communication options (Factsheet 007). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 28-32. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1937.

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Factsheet 008: Weather stations

In this factsheet, we give an overview of whether you should add a weather station to your platform, which types of weather instruments and stations are available on the market and how to position the weather station on your platform.

Weather stations

Suggested citation: Laas, A., Pierson, D., de Eyto, E. and Jennings, E. 2016. Weather stations (Factsheet 008). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 33-36. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1938.

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PDF icon amsd_008_weather_stations.pdf295.75 KB
Factsheet 009: Sensor considerations

In this factsheet, we will give an overview what sensors are available for high frequency measurements and which are mostly used by NETLAKE monitoring platforms. Please Note: this fact sheet contains certain trade names or commercial products only as examples. This should not be considered as an endorsement of any particular product.

Sensors

Suggested citation: Laas, A., Pierson, D., de Eyto, E. and Jennings, E. 2016. Sensor considerations (Factsheet 009). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 37-39. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1939.

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Factsheet 010:Depth of sensor deployment

In this factsheet, we will describe some things that need to be considered when deciding what depth you are going to put your sensors at.

Sensor depth

Suggested citation: de Eyto, E., Laas, A., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. 2016. Depth of sensor deployment (Factsheet 010). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 40-43 https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1940.

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Factsheet 011: Measurement frequency

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide some advice on the frequency at which data should be measured and saved from automated monitoring stations (AMS).

Frequency

Suggested citation: Pierson, D., de Eyto, E., Laas, A., and Jennings, E. 2016. Measurement frequency (Factsheet 011). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 44-46. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1941.

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Factsheet 012: Station maintenance

In this factsheet, we will describe some of the considerations for maintaining an automatic monitoring station, and how to avoid the “rubbish in, rubbish out” scenario.

Maintenance

de Eyto, E., Dillane, M., Laas, A., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. 2016. Station maintenance (Factsheet 012). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 47-49. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1943.

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Factsheet 013: What to Do About Ice?

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide some practical advice on how to maintain automated monitoring systems (AMS) in lakes or reservoirs which experience a regular period of winter ice cover.

Ice cover

Suggested citation: Pierson, D., de Eyto, E., Laas, A., and Jennings, E. 2016. What to do about Ice? (Factsheet 013). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 50-53. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1942.

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Factsheet 014: AMS security

In this factsheet, we give an overview of some options for securing your system to avoid accidental lose or damage by storms, people or animals. Separate NETLAKE guidelines are available on how to securely anchor your station (AMSD guideline 004), protect it from lightening (AMSD guideline 005) and from ice damage (AMSD guideline 013).

Security

Laas, A., Pierson, D., de Eyto, E. and Jennings, E. 2016. Security (Factsheet 014). In: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. pp 54-55. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1944.

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Full guidelines

Suggested citation for full technical report: Laas, A., de Eyto, E., Pierson, D. and Jennings, E. (Eds.) NETLAKE Guidelines for automatic monitoring station development. Technical report. NETLAKE COST Action ES1201. 58 pp. https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/1945.