Blue-green infrastructure: What’s behind it?
Blue-green infrastructure is the combination of water management (blue) and green spaces (green) to make cities more resilient to environmental change. The aim is to combine natural processes with engineered solutions to optimise the use of water resources, prevent flooding and improve the quality of life.
Typical examples of blue-green infrastructure include
- Rainwater management: Cisterns and retention basins store excess rainwater and release it slowly to prevent flooding.
- Green roofs and facades: They reduce sealing, have a cooling effect and increase biodiversity.
- Restoring rivers and floodplains: These measures protect against flooding, improve water quality and create habitats.
- Infiltration systems: These allow rainwater to be stored on site and returned to the ground to help recharge groundwater.
Accurate data is needed to run these systems efficiently – and that is where modern technology comes in.
Blue-green infrastructure through intelligent data monitoring
Sensors and data loggers provide essential information for monitoring and controlling blue-green infrastructure. For example, they measure:
- Levels and water levels: For monitoring rivers, sewers, reservoirs and cisterns.
- Flow rates: For precise control of water flows, e.g. in rainwater management systems.
- Precipitation: Our sensors collect real-time precipitation data and help analyse rain events.
- Water quality: The quality of water resources is monitored by measuring conductivity, temperature and pH.
This data is collected and stored by rugged data loggers and transmitted in real time to a central platform. This enables blue-green infrastructure operators to make informed decisions, optimise processes and identify potential problems at an early stage.
Rugged data loggers for harsh environments
ATEX data logger with 10 second sampling interval and 5 year life.
- Rain event
- Level and flow calculation
- Overflow
- Shaft damming
ATEX datalogger with up to 4 remote sensors & 1 measurement channel.
- Cover/valve/throttle status
- Usage
- External water
- Applications via 4-20mA interface
Water meter with 6-year battery life.
- Monitoring of bulk water meters
- MID or pulse counters
- Pipe burst detection
- Shaft opening
Blue-green infrastructure as an opportunity for a sustainable future
Blue-green infrastructure represents an integrated approach that combines natural processes with technical solutions. Modern sensors and data loggers are essential tools to support these systems – from monitoring and control to analysis.
Reliable data is the basis for sustainable and future-oriented solutions in water management. From urban stormwater management to river restoration and infiltration systems, modern technology ensures that blue-green infrastructure works efficiently and delivers its full benefits.
