USGS scientists explore how open-source tools can support better flood prediction and research
By Upper Midwest Water Science Center
December 8, 2025
How can we monitor more rivers, more affordably, without sacrificing data quality?
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USGS scientists, including Upper Midwest Water Science Center hydrologists, recently joined the Stroud Water Research Center for a hands-on ORCA workshop to explore how open-source tools can support better flood prediction and research.
Scientists and engineers at Stroud Water Research Center, working with the USGS have developed the Open-Source River Camera and Altimetry (ORCA) system; a compact, low-power tool that can be quickly mounted on bridges to measure, record, and report river levels in near real-time using cellular or LoRaWAN telemetry paired with cloud computing resources.
The ORCA system:
- Helps fill gaps between existing USGS streamgages
- Can be deployed at multiple sites to expand monitoring coverage
- Uses open-source hardware, enabling anyone to use and adapt the design
- Sends photos and data to the cloud for near real-time viewing
“Open source hardware is an important part of water monitoring technologies because it enables rapid, transparent innovation supported by a global community. The flexibility to integrate new sensors and validate performance can often simplify data collection efforts without constraints sometimes experienced by proprietary systems.”
— Bill Selbig, Research Hydrologist, USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center
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Close-up view of the ORCA deployed on White Clay Creek, Pennsylvania.
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The ORCA unit was designed for rapid deployment on bridges.
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