Xylem Sontek – QC4

Traditional river gauging exposes workers to danger and delivers inconsistent data—especially in remote or flood-prone areas. Instruments are often damaged or fail in extreme weather. The challenge was to create a system that operates reliably without routine servicing, recovers from faults autonomously, and runs efficiently in high or low temperatures, torrential rain, and periods without sunlight. The system had to operate on limited solar power, using onboard processing to minimise energy and infrastructure demands. Each site has unique conditions, so the system needed flexible mounting, orientation, power, and communication options—delivering reliable, real-time data with minimal human intervention.

The Sontek-QC4 integrates stereo cameras, optical flow tracking, and cloud-based machine learning into a compact, rugged system. It captures continuous surface velocity and level data, generating adaptive discharge curves in real time. Development focused on maintaining accuracy in flood conditions, minimising power use for remote sites, and ensuring field serviceability. Designed to be modular, the system enables low-maintenance operation in environments where gauging was previously unsafe or impossible. It shifts water monitoring from manual to autonomous—dramatically improving safety, scalability, and sustainability while reducing costs, emissions, and dependence on highly specialised hydrometric labour.

The Sontek-QC4 contributes significantly to climate resilience and enables better flood forecasting and planning for our most valuable resource - water. The revolutionary device enhances safety by replacing manual gauging with remote monitoring, cutting operational risk and reducing site visits. Deployments show higher reliability, improved data accuracy, and lower operational costs. The system helps governments and utilities manage water more sustainably, supporting infrastructure protection, resource security, and community safety. As climate extremes escalate, accurate flow data is critical for proactive planning and early response. QC4 sets a new benchmark for low-impact, high-frequency water monitoring across Australia and beyond.

Non-contact monitoring: Measures surface velocity and discharge from above the water, reducing risk and equipment wear. Adaptive machine learning: Automatically refines stage-discharge curves after each flow event, increasing long-term accuracy. Optical flow tracking: Provides precise readings in turbulent or debris-filled water during floods. Cloud-based analysis: Enables real-time alerts, data visualisation, and seamless integration with other systems. Modular design: Field-serviceable components allow for easier repairs and reduce environmental waste. Built for harsh conditions: Operates reliably in remote, flooded, or high-velocity sites with minimal maintenance. Improved safety: Enables monitoring from bridges or riverbanks, removing the need for dangerous fieldwork. Low-impact deployment: Remote and solar-powered operation helps reduce site visits and carbon emissions. Scalable application: Suitable for urban, regional, and remote catchments including flood-prone rivers and irrigation networks. Better decision-making: Delivers accurate, continuous water data to support flood forecasting, infrastructure planning, and climate resilience.