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Frank L Engel, Ph.D.

A process-oriented field scientist focused on finding applied and practical solutions to water resources and hydrodynamic related issues. 

Frank Engel is a Geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specializing in fluvial geomorphology and the implementation of cutting-edge research applications into operational science. He focuses his research on process-oriented field studies of fluvial environments, with a heavy emphasis on the applications of his findings on river management decisions. Of particular interest to him is how current research advances in non-contact measurements of riverine hydraulic parameters can be operationalized in the USGS for day to day gaging and project applications. Dr. Engel is advocating for the use of camera and radar sensors to measure hydraulic parameters at USGS streamgages or elsewhere to enable increased observation of our surface water networks. Moreover, with the growing adoption of cloud infrastructure and Internet of Things (IoT) architecture, Dr. Engel is working toward the development of cloud-based imagery and remote sensing data processing and persistence frameworks. Using IoT and "at the edge" computing power is a new frontier in the USGS, and shows great potential to bring our water observation approach into the next generation.

As chair of the USGS Water Mission Area (WMA) Surface Velocity Workgroup, Dr. Engel and his colleagues aim to coordinate the national USGS effort at implementing novel non-contact flow measurement techniques including Image Velocimetry  and Surface Velocity Radar (SVR) for stream gaging and research purposes. Dr. Engel's goal is to inform planning and decision making in watershed management, stream restoration, and naturalization projects through applied research.

Frank is also working to pioneer use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for response to water emergencies, including the application of UAS to measure flood inundation in near real-time, as well as deriving flow velocities and other hydraulic parameters with Image Velocimetry and other computer vision techniques for use in flood event and emergency response.

By leveraging a full and increasing suite of non-contact tools & capabilities, Dr. Engel wants to enable the USGS to increase process understanding from water source to sink, provide better situational awareness during emergency response to floods, and advance the cutting edge of water science.

Science and Products

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USGS

ZenRiver game concept: accelerating creation of machine learning imagery training datasets using citizen science

We aim to develop a web-based game where players use human-assisted image segmentation to produce annotated “meditation drawing” images of surface water sites to accelerate the creation of machine learning imagery training datasets. The game will also public education and outreach opportunities.
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Community for Data Integration (CDI), Community for Data Integration (CDI)
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ZenRiver game concept: accelerating creation of machine learning imagery training datasets using citizen science

We aim to develop a web-based game where players use human-assisted image segmentation to produce annotated “meditation drawing” images of surface water sites to accelerate the creation of machine learning imagery training datasets. The game will also public education and outreach opportunities.
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USGS science for a changing world logo

Develop Cloud Computing Capability at Streamgages using Amazon Web Services GreenGrass IoT Framework for Camera Image Velocity Gaging

We developed an Internet of Things (IoT) prototype and associated cloud infrastructure for camera-based data collection and initial processing of river streamflow using the cloud (fig. 1). This pilot successfully created a hardware and cloud infrastructure to collect and upload video from a camera gage at San Pedro Creek in San Antonio, Texas. Using a ThingLogix Foundry instance in the Amazon Webs
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Community for Data Integration (CDI)
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Develop Cloud Computing Capability at Streamgages using Amazon Web Services GreenGrass IoT Framework for Camera Image Velocity Gaging

We developed an Internet of Things (IoT) prototype and associated cloud infrastructure for camera-based data collection and initial processing of river streamflow using the cloud (fig. 1). This pilot successfully created a hardware and cloud infrastructure to collect and upload video from a camera gage at San Pedro Creek in San Antonio, Texas. Using a ThingLogix Foundry instance in the Amazon Webs
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Small Unoccupied Aircraft System Imagery and Associated Data used for Discharge Measurement at Eight Locations Across the United States in 2019 and 2020

A series of field measurements of surface water velocity derived from video collected by small unoccupied aircraft systems (sUAS) was conducted at eight locations in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Maine, USA during the summers of 2019 and 2020. The measurements are utilized to compute surface velocity and discharge using the Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) image velocimetry me
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Water Resources Mission Area

Near-field remotely sensed streamflow, channel bathymetry, and floodplain topography measurements in the Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO collected March 2018

A USGS Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aquatic Airshow field testing and demonstration event occurred March 20-21, 2018, on the Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO, USA. At the airshow, a group of USGS scientists and technicians gathered to test non-contact sensors for measuring stream discharge using UAS and a sensor mounted on a tag line. Scientists at the event performed a series of tests to measu
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Water Resources Mission Area

Discharge measurements at U.S. Geological Survey streamgage 05536890 Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois, 2005-2013

Discharge measurements made at U.S. Geological Survey Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois, streamgage (05536890) between 2005 and 2013 were reviewed and manually processed using QRev v3.12. Discharge was measured using Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) deployed from a moving boat according to the procedures described in Mueller and others (2013). QRev generates an extens
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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Oceanographic Observations Made Near South Padre Island, Texas, as Part of the South Padre Island Beach Replenishment Study, August 2018-February 2019

Beaches and water recreation are important to the South Padre Island, Texas area and across the United States. The movement of sediment in channels along beaches and the nearshore environment is important for coastal stakeholders and resource managers. Sediment removed by maintenance dredging is often placed back into the littoral system for potential beach replenishment. The movement of sediment
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Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Videos collected for Image Velocimetry at Boneyard Creek at Urbana, IL from 2017 to 2018

The U.S. Geological Survey is testing deployments of continuous Large-Scale particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) streamgaging stations in areas with flashy flow regimes to measure streamflow during flood events. Videos were collected for the purpose of LSPIV streamflow analysis at a stage-discharge streamgaging station in a small, flashy urban stream in Urbana, Illinois, USA (Boneyard Creek at Urban
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Water Resources Mission Area

Water velocity profiling at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully-loaded commercial tows in August 2017

In 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a large-scale interagency field study to determine the influence of commercial barge vessels on the efficacy of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System (EDBS) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in preventing fish passage. This study included a series of trials in which a tow, co
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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Acoustic Doppler current profiler velocity and discharge measurements collected in and near the lock chamber of Brandon Road Lock and Dam, Joliet, Illinois, USA in December 2014

Water velocities and discharge were measured in the lock chamber and immediately downstream of Brandon Road Lock on the Des Plaines River at river mile 286 on December 9-10, 2014 using Teledyne RDI Rio Grande 600 and 1200 kHz acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP). The data were georeferenced with a differential GPS receiver with submeter accuracy. These ADCP measurements were collected in supp
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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Velocity profiling at the US Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully loaded commercial tows

In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a large-scale interagency field study to determine the influence of commercial barge vessels on the efficacy of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System (EDBS) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in preventing fish passage. This study included a series of trials in which a tow, co
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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Water surface elevation in the Brandon Road Lock chamber near Rockdale, Illinois (October 19-21, 2015)

An Insitu Level Troll 500 was deployed in the Brandon Road Lock chamber (BRLD) near Rockdale, Illinois between 12:09 Central Daylight Time (CDT) on October 19, 2015 and 14:57 CDT October 21, 2015 to monitor water-surface elevation in the lock chamber during a U.S. Geological Survey dye study conducted on October 20, 2015. The duration of the deployment included a day prior to and a day following t
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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Hydroacoustic measurements of velocities in and near the rake-to-box junction gap of a moving, fully-loaded commercial barge tow

In August 2015, water velocities around a fully-loaded commercial barge tow were measured as the barge tow traveled upstream through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal from a starting position in Lockport Pool, and passed through the Electric Dispersal Barrier System at river mile (RM) 296 near Romeoville, IL. Velocity measurements were made in and alongside the gap formed by the junction between
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Central Midwest Water Science Center
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Community for data integration 2019 project report

The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually supports small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 14 projects supported in fiscal year 2019 and outlines their goals, activities, and accomplishments. Proposals in 2019 were encouraged to addre
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Amanda N. Liford, Caitlin M. Andrews, Aparna Bamzai, Joseph A. Bard, David S. Blehert, John B. Bradford, Wesley M. Daniel, Sara L. Eldridge, Frank Engel, Jason A. Ferrante, Amy K. Gilmer, Margaret E. Hunter, Jeanne M. Jones, Benjamin Letcher, Frances L. Lightsom, Richard R. McDonald, Leah E. Morgan, Sasha C. Reed, Leslie Hsu
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Science Data Management

Uncertainty analysis of index-velocity meters and discharge computations at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois, water years 2006–16

Monitoring discharge in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is critical for the accounting done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the diversion of water from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River Basin by the State of Illinois. The primary streamgage used for this discharge monitoring, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois (U.S. Geological Survey station 05536890), is ope
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Thomas M. Over, Marian Muste, James J. Duncker, Heng-Wei Tsai, P. Ryan Jackson, Kevin K. Johnson, Frank L. Engel, Crystal D. Prater
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Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Particle tracer analysis for submerged berm placement of dredged material near South Padre Island, Texas

The fate of unconfined dredged sediment placed as a submerged “feeder” berm in the nearshore region of South Padre Island (SPI), Texas, was investigated through a particle tracer study over the duration of 15 months. Unconfined sediment feeder systems can be a desirable alternative to traditional direct beach placement of nourishment material because the feeder systems are less intrusive to the be
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Jens Figlus, Youn-Kyung Song, Coraggio K. Maglio, Patrick L. Friend, Jack Poleykett, Frank Engel, Douglas James Schnoebelen, Kristina Boburka
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Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Flood warning toolset for the Medina River in Bandera County, Texas

OverviewFloods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. The Medina River in Bandera County, Texas, is in the Edwards Plateau, where high-intensity rain rates and steep terrain frequently contribute to severe flash flooding capable of causing loss of life and property. For example, the July 5, 2002, flood claimed a total of 12 lives in the central Texas area. The estimated peak di
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Frank Engel, Namjeong Choi
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Water Resources Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Flood-inundation maps for a 23-mile reach of the Medina River at Bandera, Texas, 2018

In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District and the Texas Water Development Board, studied floods through the period of record to create a library of flood-inundation maps for the Medina River at Bandera, Texas. Digital flood-inundation maps for a 23-mile reach of the Medina River at and near Bandera, from the confluen
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Namjeong Choi, Frank Engel
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Water Resources Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Operationalizing small unoccupied aircraft systems for rapid flood inundation mapping and event response

Small Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (sUAS) offer the capability to collect rapid and accurate aerial survey data during flood response. The rapid collection of aerial flood data can potentially enable scientists to produce detailed geospatial products and related datasets in time for decisional support. A workflow for sUAS event response before, during, and after flood events is discussed.
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Frank L. Engel, Rogelio Hernandez
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Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Flow hydraulics and mixing characteristics in and downstream from Brandon Road Lock, Joliet, Illinois

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified for potential implementation of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) control measures. To provide additional information concerning the flow hydraulics and mixing characteristics of the lock and downstream approach channel, the U.S. Geological Survey performed a detailed study of the site between December 2
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Frank L. Engel, P. Ryan Jackson, Elizabeth A. Murphy
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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Effects of tow transit on the efficacy of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Electric Dispersal Barrier System

In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a field study in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, Illinois to determine the influence of tow transit on the efficacy of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System (EDBS) in preventing the passage of juvenile fish (total length 
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Jeremiah J. Davis, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Matthew R. Shanks, Patrick Ryan Jackson, Frank L. Engel, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Carey L. Baxter, Michael K. McInerney, Nicholas A. Barkowski
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Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway

Large Electric Dispersal Barriers were constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) to prevent the transfer of invasive fish species between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin while simultaneously allowing the passage of commercial barge traffic. We investigated the potential for entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish within large gaps (> 50 m
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Jeremiah J. Davis, P. Ryan Jackson, Frank L. Engel, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Rebecca N. Neeley, Samuel T. Finney, Elizabeth A. Murphy
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Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Three-dimensional flow structure and patterns of bed shear stress in an evolving compound meander bend

Compound meander bends with multiple lobes of maximum curvature are common in actively evolving lowland rivers. Interaction among spatial patterns of mean flow, turbulence, bed morphology, bank failures and channel migration in compound bends is poorly understood. In this paper, acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements of the three-dimensional (3D) flow velocities in a compound bend a
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Frank L. Engel, Bruce L. Rhoads
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Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Evaluation of a mass-balance approach to determine consumptive water use in northeastern Illinois

A principal component of evaluating and managing water use is consumptive use. This is the portion of water withdrawn for a particular use, such as residential, which is evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products or crops, consumed by humans or livestock, or otherwise removed from the immediate water environment. The amount of consumptive use may be estimated by a water (mass)-balance appr
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P.C. Mills, James J. Duncker, Thomas M. Over, Marian Domanski, Frank L. Engel
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Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Despax, A., Le Coz, J., Hauet, A., Mueller, D. S., Engel, F. L., Blanquart, B., Renard, B., and Oberg, K.A., 2019, Decomposition of uncertainty sources in acoustic Doppler current profiler streamflow measurements using repeated measures experiments. Water Resources Research, 55, 7520–7540. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025296.
Engel, F. L., and Rhoads, B. L. (2017). Velocity profiles and the structure of turbulence at the outer bank of a compound meander bend, Geomorphology, 295, 191–201. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.06.018.
Engel, F. L., and Rhoads, B. L. (2016). Three-dimensional flow structure and patterns of Bed shear stress in an evolving compound meander bend. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 1226(Feb). doi:10.1002/esp.3895
Parsons, D. R., Jackson, P. R., Czuba, J. A., Engel, F. L., Rhoads, B. L., Oberg, K. A., Riley, J. D. (2013). Velocity Mapping Toolbox (VMT): a processing and visualization suite for moving-vessel ADCP measurements. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 38(11), 1244–1260. doi:10.1002/esp.3367
Engel, F. L., and Rhoads, B. L. (2012). Interaction among mean flow, turbulence, bed morphology, bank failures and channel planform in an evolving compound meander loop. Geomorphology, 163-164, 70–83. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.05.026

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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Moving Barges Have Potential to Transport Invasive Fish

When a moving barge encounters small fish in the Illinois Waterway there is a possibility that the fish will become trapped in the gap between barges...

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Science and Products