Enhancing large dam safety using IoT technologies: A case of a smart dam

Abstract

This paper investigates how to transform a manual monitoring system into a smart environment using IoT technologies. Large dams are of huge importance as water reservoirs and potential energy sources primarily because of their use for electric energy generation. Monitoring and predicting dams’ behavior are quite challenging. Due to a variety of limitations, environmental obstacles and dam system complexity, the application of RFID, Bluetooth, and IoT technologies has proven to be an adequate, affordable and reliable dam safety solution. This paper introduces a comprehensive model of dam safety management and monitoring based on pervasive technologies. The model described in this work has been applied within the large dam “Iron Gate 1", on the river Danube in the Republic of Serbia. The results show that the use of new technologies in the dam monitoring process can reduce human error and improve overall process.