MICHALKE et al. (2026) Field Trial of a Low-Cost Sensor Network for Hydrometeorological Monitoring of Water Pans and Small Dams in Kenya

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-24
• Authors: NILS MICHALKE, John Mwangi Gathenya, Joseph Sang, R. Ndeda
• DOI: 10.3390/hydrology13040101

Research Groups

Not explicitly stated in the provided text, but likely involves research groups in hydrology, environmental engineering, or development studies focused on water resources in rural regions.

Short Summary

This paper describes the development and field testing of a low-cost monitoring station network designed to measure water level, precipitation, and air temperature/humidity for small, decentralized water pans in rural areas. The system, costing approximately 93 USD per station, demonstrated potential for addressing data scarcity, with water level measurements proving accurate, despite inaccuracies in precipitation data and biases in air temperature.

Objective

• To develop and field-test a low-cost, multi-parameter monitoring station network suitable for decentralized water pans in rural regions with seasonal rainfall regimes, aiming to address data scarcity and improve performance studies.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Four water pans within the Kakia-Esamburmbur Catchment, Kenya.
• Temporal Scale: Six months (June to November 2025).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None (focus on hardware development and field testing).
• Data sources:
  • Developed system: JSN-SR04T ultrasonic sensor (water level), 3D-printed tipping-bucket gauge (precipitation), DHT22 sensor (air temperature and humidity).
  • Reference data: Automatic weather station and manual observations.

Main Results

• A low-cost monitoring station network was developed, with each station costing less than 12,000 KES (approximately 93 USD).
• Field trials at four water pans demonstrated the system's functionality over a six-month period.
• Water level measurements exhibited higher accuracy compared to manual reference readings.
• Air temperature measurements showed biases ranging from 1.4 °C to 1.8 °C.
• Precipitation data were largely inaccurate, primarily attributed to inadequate sensor levelling.
• The overall operational reliability of the system reached 83%.

Contributions

• Development of a novel, low-cost, multi-parameter monitoring system specifically tailored for small, decentralized water infrastructures like water pans.
• Demonstration of the system's feasibility and performance through a field trial in a relevant real-world setting (Kakia-Esamburmbur Catchment, Kenya).
• Addresses a critical data scarcity issue for small water pans, which are increasingly important for climate change adaptation in rural areas.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{MICHALKE2026Field,
  author = {MICHALKE, NILS and Gathenya, John Mwangi and Sang, Joseph and Ndeda, R.},
  title = {Field Trial of a Low-Cost Sensor Network for Hydrometeorological Monitoring of Water Pans and Small Dams in Kenya},
  journal = {Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/hydrology13040101},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13040101}
}