Radar Technology for River Flow Monitoring: Assessment of the Current Status and Future Challenges

Abstract

As an emerging non-contact method of flow monitoring, radar technology compensates for the shortcomings of traditional methods in terms of the efficiency, timeliness, and difficulty in monitoring high floods, and can provide accurate measurement results, making it one of the most promising flow monitoring methods in the future. This paper describes in detail the workflow from radar data acquisition to flow calculation; compares and analyzes the current state-of-the-art signal sampling and its limitations, Doppler spectrum estimation, signal processing and flow inversion; points out the challenges that these technologies may face in the future; and provides corresponding solutions in order to improve the real-time and accuracy of hydrometric as well as promote the development of non-contact flow monitoring technology.