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SonTek Webinar | Top Six Questions by SonTek ADCP Customers

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:31:39 GMT

If you've ever had a question regarding ADCPs this webinar probably has the answer! Watch our panel of experts answer questions directly from customers like you.

We cover:
Why is accurate transducer depth critical?
When and why to do a compass calibration?
Is QRev required for post-processing?
Why choose moving boat vs stationary method?
Why choose one track reference over another?
Why use vertical beam vs bottom track depth?

And more!

SonTek Webinar | Introducing the RS5 - BIG data from the world's smallest ADCP!

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:44:48 GMT

Learn more about SonTek's new RS5 ADCP - the handy grab-and-go solution for water monitoring professionals who are looking for quality, high-resolution discharge and flow data, with the convenience of a small, rugged and easy to deploy package.

Xylem Analytics Flow Segment Manager, Isaac Jones, and Senior Application Engineer, Dr. Xue Fan, outline the instrument's technical capabilities and show you data comparisons with other market ADCPs collected during the beta testing process by hydrologic monitoring leaders such as the USGS, the UK Environment Agency, and other government agencies. Specifically, you will learn:

What is included with the one piece system
How the power of SmartPulse+, Broadband and Pulse Coherent technology work together for the most reliable bottom tracking and velocity profiling available
GNSS flexibility available through SonTek or independently
Software upgrades and compatibility with external programs such as QREV (USGS)
Velocity indexing flexibility for other SonTek instrumentation
AND MORE!!

GET A QUOTE: https://www.sontek.com/contact-sontek
VISIT THE RS5 WEBPAGE: https://www.sontek.com/RS5

SonTek Webinar | Principles of Extrapolation and Screening of Velocity Profiles

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:42:42 GMT

This webinar, hosted by Senior Hydrologist Daniel Wagenaar, covers Velocity Profile Principles, Extrapolation of Velocity Profiles, Implementation of Screening Distance and more.

The extrapolation and screening of velocity profile measurements from Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler instruments are essential aspects of the measurement process. It is important to understand the fundamental principles of velocity profiles within a channel and the reason why the extrapolation process can have substantial impact on the final discharge calculation.

Key points include:

Velocity Profile Principles
Extrapolation of Velocity Profiles
Implementation of Screening Distance
RSL (SonTek): RiverSurveyor Live Software (SonTek)
QRev (USGS): Software for Computation and Quality Assurance of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Moving-Boat Streamflow Measurements

For more information on this presentation, or for general questions, feel free to send us a message at inquiry@sontek.com or call +1.858.546.8327.

SonTek Webinar | Continuous Wave vs Pulsed Dopplers: 7 Key Questions to Ask...

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:36:08 GMT

Pulsed Doppler and Continuous Wave (CW) flow meters, otherwise known as “ultrasonic” or A-V meters, are well-known flow measurement systems in the water and wastewater industries. Both kinds of systems are Dopplers, yet they differ in some important ways, both technologically and operationally. A natural question is, “What’s the difference?” Yet surprisingly few technical resources exist that compare the two technologies. Water managers would like to simply understand the pros-and-cons of each and how this information could improve operations over the long run.

Well, we are here to help! SonTek's Janice Yasui and Diego Davis aim to explain some of the important technical differences in simple, practical terms that will help answer:

Why is there a price difference between the two?
Is there really a big difference between data collected via Continuous Wave Dopplers, versus Pulsed Doppler instruments
What is range bias and why is it important?
How deep or shallow can I collect data?
What about variable, or uneven flow conditions?
How accurate does my data really need to be?
How do I check if my flow instrument is still accurate in the future?
Your own questions—this is a live webinar with Q&A!

This one hour presentation is chocked full of information that will show you with data and helpful illustrations that not all Dopplers are created equal.

Learn more about the SonTek-IQ, or get a quote!: https://www.sontek.com/contact-sontek

SonTek Webinar | Energize Your Science Class with the CastAway-CTD Lesson Plan!

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:49:24 GMT

Small, handy and easy-to-use, the CastAway-CTD is a fan-favorite used by researchers, oceanographers and scientists who need quick and reliable salinity and temperature data.

The instrument is also widely-used as a tool in environmental science classes as a way to help instructors teach water property fundamentals and demonstrate methods to collect data. Today, educators have even more resources with the NEW customized lesson plan focusing on salinity measurements, now available and shipped with all CastAway-CTDs!

Join SonTek Application Engineer, Dr. Xue Fan, and special guest presenter from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Dr. Todd Martz, for this short online presentation, to learn more about how the CastAway-CTD and accompanying curriculum can inspire and engage students! Questions? Contact SonTek at inquiry@sontek.com.

https://www.sontek.com/castaway-ctd

SonTek Webinar | Quantifying Flooding Events with Acoustic Data

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:42:06 GMT

Investment in flood and coastal risk management delivers many benefits. With the year 2018 seeming to culminate a trend of increasing extreme weather events and their intensity, water resource professionals are being called to question and respond appropriately in service to their constituents, both public and private, governmental and industrial. To this end, what insights do acoustic data, data analysis techniques and visualization bring us? How can we use these tools to better understand, manage, and model flooding events and their associated impacts?

Join us as we answer these questions and take a closer look at discharge data collected by U.S. national monitoring agencies such as the USGS during recent extreme weather events. Example applications will include data from hurricane Irma that packed 185 MPH and took with it 134 lives, and category 4 hurricane Harvey that made landfall in Texas and caused an estimated $125 Billion dollars in damage.

We will also take a look at record-breaking discharge data collected by the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency during massive flooding of the River Tyne in Bywell, Northumberland after Storm Desmond, documented as the worst flood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1771.

The webinar will focus on:

Adapting to unpredictability: How to use hydrologic theory (like hysteresis) and acoustic measurements together to build stronger early warning systems
Sizing up floods: How acoustic Doppler technology can improve monitoring during flooding events
Optimizing the tools available: Different data processing techniques (like Velocity Indexing) to better quantify discharge during peak flows
Real solutions: How acoustic measurements are used for flood modeling and forecasting

Product Manager Janice Landsfeld and Applications Engineer Dr. Xue Fan (xue.fan@xyleminc.com) are our presenters for this event. We welcome advance questions and will even accept data for sharing with your water monitoring peers!

Ask us a question! inquiry@sontek.com
https://www.sontek.com/riversurveyor-s5-m9

SonTek Webinar | From Coastal Shorelines to the Deep Blue: Collecting...

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:38:20 GMT

Science shows changes are occurring in our oceans – and they are happening quickly and on a global scale. What we know:

The ocean is getting warmer, affecting sea level, currents and weather
Sea level is rising at a rate of six-tenths of an inch per decade since 1880 (source, US EPA)
Coastal flooding is accelerating at record levels
Storm surge is increasing as storms become more intense

With change comes the on-going need for defensible data that researchers, scientists and water management professionals can rely on for informed decision-making.

Join us as we gather some of the premier minds of technology development in one “virtual” room to talk about case studies and share updates on the instrumentation being used to measure water level, tides and waves by agencies such as NOAA, USGS, and UK’s Environment Agency, all of whom have relied on this information for years to provide the ocean monitoring/research community actionable data for long-term planning, and in many cases today, emergency response. Our international team of presenters includes:

Isaac Jones – Product Manager/Application Engineer, SonTek (San Diego, California)
Anders Tengberg – Product Manager/Scientific Advisor, Aanderaa (Bergen, Norway)
Trent Demuzio – Application Engineer, YSI (Yellow Springs, Ohio)

Expect to learn industry “Best Practices” and more about the latest technology used to measure water level, waves, and velocity. As part of the Xylem family, Aanderaa, SonTek and YSI offer access to years of expertise and we are happy to answer questions relating to your unique data collection requirements.

SonTek Webinar | RiverSurveyor 4.0: Collecting Acoustic Stationary and Moving...

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:29:01 GMT

You might have heard about some of the big upgrades to the powerful, multi-frequency RiverSurveyor-M9, but we didn’t want you to take our word for it – the proof is in the data – and we want to share examples on how RiverSurveyor 4.0 has dramatically simplified the data collection process for hydrologists and water monitoring specialists like you!

JOIN SonTek's Product Manager/Application Engineer Isaac Jones and Senior Hydrologist, Daniel Wagenaar as they highlight how RiverSurveyor 4.0 has improved work-flow processes for water monitoring agencies, such as the USBR and EC. They will also go over new features to include:

1) No tagline/tape measure required: With RiverSurveyor Stationary Live, automatically measure distance between stations with DGPS or RTK GPS equipped systems.

2) Manual configuration: Now you can set blanking distance, cell size and number of cells for moving boat measurements.

3) Real-time QA/QC warnings: Know when there could be a problem before there is one.

4) Zipped files: New and improved compression and auto-decompression, providing faster access to large amounts of data.

5) Sample filter: Remove your random velocity outliers with ease!

Learn more about the RiverSurveyor here!: http://www.sontek.com/riversurveyor or email SonTek at inquiry@sontek.com!

SonTek Webinar | The Pressure is ON! The FlowTracker2 Now Comes with Built in...

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:24:52 GMT

With advances in technology and general application know-how contributed by world-renowned hydrologists, researchers and scientists, SonTek is pleased to unveil the new FlowTracker2 now with optional pressure sensor feature! Here is how the FT2 with pressure sensor can optimize your data collection efforts:

1) More accurate and precise measure of depth.

2) More accurate and precise positioning of sensor at proper depth for measurement.

3) Ability to measure in places where sight-reading of depth on a rod is inconvenient or impossible. Get spot-on depth measurements from bridges, walkways, manholes, or other structures.

4) Elimination of chance of human error when depth is manually read on the rod (source of error) and then keyed-in (another source of error). Ensure high quality data in spite of distracting conditions, cold weather, or personnel in training.

5) Ability to review and QA/QC depth time series data back at the office. Ensure manager visibility over field procedures and more rigorous data review options.

6) SonTek’s innovative patent-pending method of properly compensating pressure readings under different flow conditions. Ensures a real, useable, high-quality solution in the field, across different flow conditions.

Learn more about the FlowTracker2 here: https://www.sontek.com/flowtracker2
Or, ask one of our Application Specialists a question at inquiry@sontek.com

SonTek Webinar | FlowTracker2 How to Make the Highest-Quality Measurements...

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 13:09:06 GMT

If you’re a hydrologist, scientist, or water monitoring professional, chances are access to precise flow/discharge data in varying environmental conditions is important to your organization and the communities you serve. Better data means better decision-making – often in situations that are critical and time-sensitive.

You might already be collecting data using the traditional mechanical current meter, or maybe you have hands-on experience with the SonTek FlowTracker or similar wading device. Either way, nothing beats the quality assurance, data accessibility, and overall performance of the new FlowTracker2 handheld ADV.

You will learn:

The QA/QC Advantage: get comprehensive quality assurance and understanding about flow conditions. How to easily review essential parameters such as flow variability, flow angle, proper instrument orientation … and QC as you are taking your measurement!
What is an automatic beam check and how it helps you understand environmental conditions;
More about FlowTracker2 features that streamline the data collection process, such as audio prompts, templates and rich graphics;
Understand the breadth of post-processing options and see examples of tables, time series graphs and editing. See ALL data parameters per station and per point velocity, for a 360-view of your measurement;
Helpful tips on site selection for optimal data reliability!

SonTek Webinar | The Fundamentals of Velocity Indexing Technique

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 13:02:09 GMT

Velocity Indexing (VI) is a critical advantage to have in your skillset when measuring flow, discharge, and total volume. This technique is used by agencies like the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and many other local, state, and federal environmental agencies who need to regularly collect flow data.

But are you one of those scratching your head in confusion when the topic of velocity indexing comes up? You are not alone – it is a complex subject matter – and SonTek is here to help!

Do any of these situations seem familiar?

You already use a current meter or ADCP to calibrate a stage-discharge curve, but you are not familiar with the idea of adding velocity to the equation.
You already have an ADVM (like the SonTek-IQ), but you haven’t been checking or rating it methodically.
You have lingering questions about acoustic instruments and their accuracy
You have a monitoring site that has been tricky to get good readings at.

Well, if you have questions about Velocity Indexing, we have answers! Senior Hydrologist Daniel Wagenaar, and Janice Landsfeld, provide an introductory overview of the velocity index technique and its use with acoustic Doppler instrumentation.

SonTek Webinar | Why Collect Water Quality Data When All You Need is Flow (or...

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 07:31:34 GMT

We see it quite a bit - water monitoring programs focus on either water quality OR flow, but not both. However, for scientists looking for a comprehensive perspective on environmental phenomena, collecting both types of data is crucial to understanding what environmental and man-made influences are impacting a body of water.

Just ask our friends at the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, where lake research scientists and their student team members are on a mission to protect the freshwater lakes of Kosciusko County. Both water quality and flow data are indispensable for those who have used the pristine waters for the generations of families living within neighboring communities. Among other things, their program of combined water quality and flow monitoring allows them to understand the economic and environmental impacts of:

Harmful Algal Blooms
Zebra mussel incursions
Starry stonewort
Recreational usage
Weather events
Watershed usage for agriculture