Underwater ground mapping for flood disaster using ultrasonic sensor

Abstract

Search and Rescue (SAR) team used dip stick to measure the water depth and identify the badly eroded area and a guide line will be placed to assist them. However, ground erosion is unpredictable coupled with unknown sizes make the SAR task more difficult thus posing grave danger to SAR team in action. Therefore, this current method is no longer reliable because the flood current will swipe it away and rendered the guide line to be unfeasible over time consuming. A system proposed in this study was developed using ultrasonic sensor array to reconstruct the ground map in flood area. It consists of several sensor arrays to collect the underwater depth information and convert them into mapping data before relaying them to ground station. The results then will help the SAR team to identify the safe path to reach for the flood victims. The factor to focus on is the depth of the flood, the current flow and the medium that the wave will go through. The current flow will be the main threat because the sensor needs to be on the right angle to get the accurate reading. The data then will be transfer to excel to start the mapping for underwater ground. Based on the result from the prototype testing conducted using water tank, sensors can be installed to get wider map view and mapping can be improved by using multi-angle shapes for it to be more accurate in flood disaster.