Adroit’s Environmental Intelligence Set to Aid Disaster Management

Over the past two years, regions such as Hawke’s Bay have faced severe climate-related challenges, resulting in extensive damage to infrastructure, homes, and marae.

Now, with the latest environmental intelligence and AI technology from Adroit, councils, regional planners, and disaster relief agencies can better understand and prepare for climate impacts on infrastructure, helping to reduce risks to human life.

Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck in February 2023, was a life-changing event, leaving a lasting impact on the Hawke’s Bay community. Adroit CEO Blair Stewart says that due to New Zealand’s geography and remote locations, an increasing number of communities are prone to the effects of severe weather, including flooding and slips.
These challenges highlight our nation’s growing vulnerability to climate-related events and the urgent need for resilient infrastructure and effective disaster management strategies to protect the community in the future
Blair Stewart

CEO, Adroit

In response to these challenges, Adroit recently deployed a range of connected devices in a trial designed to show how accurate real-time environmental data can increase operational efficiencies and provide early warning for disaster management.

The Adroit trial includes:

  • Highly accurate geotechnical tiltmeters to detect ground movement
  • Radar sensors to provide real-time data on river levels and image capture cameras for visual verification
  • Groundwater-level sensors and rain gauges to report on groundwater, actual rainfall and the correlation when rivers flood
  • All sensors supported by a sophisticated AI-enabled reporting platform
Adroit’s Environmental Intelligence Disaster Management
The range of sensors we’ve deployed will be able to demonstrate ways devices can individually measure changes in the environment as well as work together to generate a holistic view of what’s happening across the region at any given time
Blair Stewart

CEO, Adroit

Data Devices for Every Risk

Adroit Tiltmeters are a key tool in protecting key infrastructure. Tiltmeters can detect even the slightest change in tilt, so authorities are immediately alerted to any ground movement, helping them to better understand the risk of potential slips.

Adroit technical lead, Craig Brocas says the installation process for tiltmeters is straightforward – either by a ground screw or directly to the structure being monitored. Connectivity can be via cellular networks or Iridium satellite, which ensures coverage even in remote areas.

“Often, roads are cut off during rainfall events. Automation gives us the ability to get early warning that a slip may be occurring so authorities can forewarn communities of events happening in the area,” Brocas says.

Adroit bridge and ground installs, Hawkes Bay, June 2024
Bridges are another area of focus, with a VEGA Radar Sensor and Image Capture installation on a key bridge in the upper tributaries of the Tukituki River – to provide early detection of rising water levels and possible flood risk in the region.

VEGA radar sensors are designed to monitor water level via a continuous radar signal reflected by the water surface. Data is uploaded constantly and visualised on the Adroit app where threshold alerts can be set to reflect a specific level of risk.

Each site is powered using a solar panel with backup battery storage and Iridium satellite connectivity, so the unit will still function during a serious weather event.

“Bridges are of vital importance to isolated communities where a bridge destroyed by flooding could force residents to endure long detours, exacerbating the emotional and social toll of a disaster,” Adroit General Manager Guy MacPherson says.

“The advantage of real-time data is that authorities can see exactly what’s happening as it’s happening and get alerts before things get critical. So that gives them the ability to effectively manage situations as they’re developing,” he says.

Receiving data on the status on the height of a river is useful, but seeing is believing and that’s why the bridge radar sensor is being supported by an Adroit Image Capture device. These devices upload images every 15 minutes so authorities can see changes in river flow in real time, or can review a timelapse video of images at a later date to help analyse situations and responses.

Adroit Hawkes Bay Installs - July 2024
Another key site is the installation of well cap sensor and rain gauges. The well cap device provides real-time data of groundwater levels, whereas the rain gauge continuously measures rainfall. The resulting data, which is then visualised on the Adroit app, gives stakeholders a clear picture of what is happening below ground as well as above.

“Real-time monitoring of groundwater levels provides us with a better understanding of the availability, sustainability, and potential risks to groundwater resources,” says Craig Brocas.

“In an area like Nūhaka that’s prone to flooding, having real-time groundwater data enables us to make the correlation between the water table and the rising river levels during a flood event,” he says.

As part of this project, Adroit has also installed a VEGA radar sensor on a remote water tank servicing the campground at Lake Tūtira. The VEGA sensor is perfect for tank installations and provides highly accurate real-time water level data. Automated monitoring of this water tank level will reduce the requirements for field visits and manual measurements.

The range of sensors we’ve deployed will be able to demonstrate ways devices can individually measure changes in the environment as well as work together to generate a holistic view of what’s happening across the region at any given time

Guy Macpherson says the advantage of automation is that it increases operational efficiencies – reducing the number of field visits required for manual testing decreases the risk to employees in the field and a business’s carbon footprint. Both of these can be significant in a remote site.

“Accurate real-time data is extremely valuable, but combined with the use of analytics and AI we can then identify trends, insights, and drive predictive modelling. This approach termed ‘environmental intelligence’ enables improved efficiency and operational effectiveness, but also using modelling enables a new level of planning and preparation,” Macpherson says.

Adroit CEO Blair Stewart says the ability to monitor environmental parameters in real-time, such as flood water levels, ground movement in areas prone to slips, groundwater levels, and rainfall can provide early warning to areas commonly affected by serious weather events.

We believe that making critical decisions based on accurate real-time data can greatly improve the effectiveness of disaster management in New Zealand in the future
Blair Stewart

CEO, Adroit