Hydro-STIV

Hydro-STIV is a system that measures flow velocity and discharge using video and water level information.
We have achieved highly accurate measurement by combining the latest STIV technology by Professor Emeritus Ichiro Fujita of Kobe University with our AI technology.
River flow can be measured safely and easily without approaching to the river during flood while maintaining high accuracy.

This technology, which enables safe flow observation even during large-scale floods that exceed the planned high water level, was awarded the Innovative Technique Award, one of the JSCE's 2023 JSCE Awards for its innovative and extremely useful technology.

令和5年土木学会技術開発賞受賞


Registration number: KK-220021-A
Technical name: Flow velocity and flow rate measurement system [Hydro-STIV]
https://www.netis.mlit.go.jp/netis/pubsearch/details?regNo=KK-220021%20

Hydro-STIV
3 Services

Flow velocity and discharge
measurement software using
video footage

Details

Automatic discharge observation
system in real-time

Details

Flow velocity and discharge
measurement device using tablet

Details
Introduction Video
STIV Overview

1.Theory: Flow velocity measurement using Space-Time Image

Left: Generating a Space-Time Image (STI) from video

The yellow lines shows search lines, and the red squares show features of brightness value(surface ripples etc). STI is generated by arranging the brightness values on the search line in the time direction, and the stripe pattern indicates velocity.

Right: Calculation of flow velocity (V) from Space-Time Image (STI)

Velocity is calculated using slope of the stripe pattern(Φ), length, and time of STI. When Φ is small, velocity is slow(left-bottom) and vice versa(right-bottom).

2.Evaluation of STIV measurement accuracy

3.AI enables high-speed and high accuracy measurement

  • Resistant to noise such as water droplets and blurring, automating image analysis
  • Enables automatic and stable flow velocity and discharge measurement in various environments such as adverse weather conditions

AI (deep learning) enables more stable measurement than conventional methods, and fully automatic analysis and highly accurate measurement is possible even when obstacles appear in the image, when there is a flood with muddy water or heavy rain, when there is reflected light at night, or when an infrared camera is used.

4.Feature

Point1:Drone footage for measurement

Images taken from the sky by a drone or other devices can be used to measure the flow velocity and discharge. Wide rivers, mountainous areas, or rivers during flood can be easily measured by drone footage. Another advantage of vertical shooting is that no geometric correction is required since the actual scale can be detected by the distance between only 2 points in the image.

Point2:Nighttime measurement using an ultra-high-sensitivity camera

Example of video taken at 9:30 p.m.

Normal camera

Ultra-high-sensitivity camera

By using an ultra-high-sensitivity camera that can take clear images even at night, Hydro-STIV can measure flow velocity and discharge 24 hours a day, even in environments with limited light sources.

Point3:Automatic water level measurement by recognizing the water’s edge on a plane

  • Water level measurement function by image
  • Automatic water level detection from images without using a water level meter

The water level is measured by detecting the water's edge on vertical structures such as water markers, bridge piers, and concrete walls in the image.
By using a staff gauge or surveying a vertical structure in the image, the water level can be measured on Hydro-STIV software.

Case Study

Othea River @New Zealand

Rangitata River @New Zealand

Tekapo River @New Zealand

Herbert River @Australia

@Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Russel River @Australia

North River @Canada

Ciujung River @Indonesia

DX(Digital Transformation)

Hydro-STIV also contributes to the DX of flow observation operations. Digitalizing the observation operation with Hydro-STIV makes the process safe and automated. New value can be delivered to the society.

Published Paper
Title of Published Paper Name of Journal Our Engineers Coauthor
Development of Flow Velocity Measurement Device by Image Analysis Using Accelerometers of Smart Devices Advances in River Engineerig, Vol.29, pp.73-78, 2023. (Japanese) Yoshitada Minami,
Ichiro Fujita,
Shota Yamauchi,
Ken Watanabe,
Makiko Iguchi
Validation of Automatic Parameter Estimation Method of Maximum Entropy Method Using STIV Measurement Values Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. B1 (Hydraulic Engineering), Vol2,I_1183- I_1188 , 2022. (Japanese) Ken Watanabe,
Yoshitada Minami,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi
Yoshiro Omori
Measurement of debris flow velocity in flume using normal image by space-time image velocimetry incorporated with machine learning Measurement, Vol 199, pp.1-15, 2022 Ichiro Fujita,
Makoto Hasegawa
Yeon-joong Kim
Robust and accurate river flow measurement by Space-time image velocimetry (STIV) with improved deep learning technique River Flow 2022 Ken Watanabe,
Yoshitada Minami,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi
Discharge Measurement Using Maximum Entropy Method Coupled with STIV Advances in River Engineerig, Vol.28, pp.1-6, 2022. (Japanese) Ichiro Fujita,
Ken Watanabe,
Makiko Iguchi
Yoshiro Omori
Application of an Entropic Method Coupled with STIV for Discharge Measurement in Actual Rivers IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 945 (2021) 012036. Ichiro Fujita,
Ken Watanabe
Yoshiro Omori
Improving Accuracy and Robustness of Space-Time Image Velocimetry (STIV) with Deep Learning Water 2021, 13, 2079. Ken Watanabe,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi,
Makoto Hasegawa
Uncertainty Evaluation of STIV River Flow Measurement Advances in River Engineerig, Vol.27, pp.7-12, 2021. (Japanese) Ken Watanabe,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi,
Makoto Hasegawa
Yoshiro Omori
Improvement of STIV Technique by Using Deep Learning Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. B1 (Hydraulic Engineering), Vol.27, pp.7-12, 2021. (Japanese) Ichiro Fujita,
Ken Watanabe,
Makiko Iguchi,br /> Makoto Hasegawa
Discharge Measurements of Snowmelt Flood by Space-Time Image Velocimetry during the Night Using Far-Infrared Camera Water, 2017; 9(4):269 Fujita I.

Development of Flow Velocity Measurement Device by Image Analysis Using Accelerometers of Smart Devices

Name of Journal Advances in River Engineerig, Vol.29, pp.73-78, 2023. (Japanese)
Our Engineers Yoshitada Minami,
Ichiro Fujita,
Shota Yamauchi,
Ken Watanabe,
Makiko Iguchi

Validation of Automatic Parameter Estimation Method of Maximum Entropy Method Using STIV Measurement Values

Name of Journal Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. B1 (Hydraulic Engineering), Vol2,I_1183- I_1188 , 2022. (Japanese)
Our Engineers Ken Watanabe,
Yoshitada Minami,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi
Coauthor Yoshiro Omori

Measurement of debris flow velocity in flume using normal image by space-time image velocimetry incorporated with machine learning

Name of Journal Measurement, Vol 199, pp.1-15, 2022
Our Engineers Ichiro Fujita,
Makoto Hasegawa
Coauthor Yeon-joong Kim

Robust and accurate river flow measurement by Space-time image velocimetry (STIV) with improved deep learning technique

Name of Journal River Flow 2022
Our Engineers Ken Watanabe,
Yoshitada Minami,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi

Discharge Measurement Using Maximum Entropy Method Coupled with STIV

Name of Journal Advances in River Engineerig, Vol.28, pp.1-6, 2022. (Japanese)
Our Engineers Ichiro Fujita,
Ken Watanabe,
Makiko Iguchi
Coauthor Yoshiro Omori

Application of an Entropic Method Coupled with STIV for Discharge Measurement in Actual Rivers

Name of Journal IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 945 (2021) 012036.
Our Engineers Ichiro Fujita,
Ken Watanabe
Coauthor Yoshiro Omori

Improving Accuracy and Robustness of Space-Time Image Velocimetry (STIV) with Deep Learning

Name of Journal Water 2021, 13, 2079.
Our Engineers Ken Watanabe,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi,
Makoto Hasegawa

Uncertainty Evaluation of STIV River Flow Measurement

Name of Journal Advances in River Engineerig, Vol.27, pp.7-12, 2021. (Japanese)
Our Engineers Ken Watanabe,
Ichiro Fujita,
Makiko Iguchi,
Makoto Hasegawa
Coauthor Yoshiro Omori

Improvement of STIV Technique by Using Deep Learning

Name of Journal Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. B1 (Hydraulic Engineering), Vol.27, pp.7-12, 2021. (Japanese)
Our Engineers Ichiro Fujita,
Ken Watanabe,
Makiko Iguchi,
Makoto Hasegawa

Discharge Measurements of Snowmelt Flood by Space-Time Image Velocimetry during the Night Using Far-Infrared Camera

Name of Journal Water, 2017; 9(4):269
Our Engineers Fujita I.
Introduction Performance : Alphabetical Order

Overseas

(Local Government, Research Institute, Academic Institute, Corporation) Australia, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, USA, Vietnam

Data

Hydro-STIV
Product Brochure

For all inquiries regarding Hydro-STIV, please contact us using the form below.
Contact

【References】
(*1) Ichiro Fujita, Tatsushi Shibano, Kojiro Tani: IMPROVEMENT OF STIV FOR VIDEO IMAGES CAPTURED UNDER DETERIORATED MEASUREMENT CONDITIONS, JSCE Proceedings B1 (Hydraulic Engineering), Vol. 74, No.5, I_619 -I_624, 2018.
(*2) Created by processing data from HP of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan(https://www.gsi.go.jp/BOUSAI/H29hukuoka_ooita-heavyrain.html)