TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Professors and a team of students from the Indonesia University of Computer (Unikom) in Bandung created a flood early warning system based on a measurement of river water level levels and precipitation data. The system had been tested in July and August 2016.
The device, so called "Simbat" (the Integrated Flood Monitoring System), was invented base on an idea created by Uniokm’s computer engineering professor Agus Mulyana. The research was commenced in May 2015.
"[I came up with the idea] since the house owned by my parents in law in Dayeuh Kolot is frequently flooded," Agus said on Tuesday on October 25, 2016.
With Simbat, residents can be prepared to evacuate and secure their belongings when the device indicates a potential of flooding. As the water level goes up, the device set up in a river will indicate a danger level.
"During the alert level up to the early warning [the device] will trigger an alarm," Agus added.
An automatic siren will be turned on, and the device will provide information on the river condition, as well as evacuation steps. The warning is aimed for residents in locations to be affected by a flood.
Simbat utilizes four hardwares, which each of them is equipped with an application. Simbat Node is a tool with several sensors installed to monitor the river water level. The information from the Node is sent via GSM or GPRS signal to the web server. The information can be accessed by a Simbat client installed in public places, such as mosque or a neighborhood unit’s (RW) office.
Simbat will be showcased in a national student's tech fair this year.
"The device has been developed with a research method, and it needs to be tested. We have improved its drawbacks," Agus said.
Agus hopes that the technology will be available for mass production and used in various places to mitigate floods.
ANWAR SISWADI
