A new type of flow meter verification vehicle independently developed by East China Hydrological Instrument Testing Center (photographed by Zhou Debao)

Smart hydrology controls the rhythm of rivers and lakes, who willcontrol the accuracy of the numbers? Under the new format of unattended, automatic forecasting, and remote online, "accuracy" has become a problem that plagues smart hydrology.

“New equipment needs to be verified and first-line equipment calibrated on schedule.” said Gao Wei, director of the East China Hydrological Instrument Testing Center (hereinafter referred to as East China Testing Center).

East China Testing Center is located in Hanting High-tech Industrial Park, Weifang City, Shandong Province. In the "L"-shaped building, the new type of flow meter verification, non-contact water level detection, pendulum rain test device and other laboratories are arranged in districts. These large-scale testing equipment are independently developed by East China Testing Center, and have won a number of scientific and technological progress awards and national patents.

To buckle the "first button" of smart hydrology, the East China Testing Center uses the power of the laboratory to protect the accuracy of hydrological data. Its confidence comes from the dual guarantee of scientific research strength and legal effectiveness.

Starting from the simple overhaul of hydrological instruments in 1972, after nearly 50 years of hard work, the East China Testing Center has transformed from "hydrological manufacturing" to "hydrological creation", becoming the demonstration base for the promotion of hydrological science and technology,  integrating the research of hydrological instrument technical indicators, measurement verification, and testing methods such as precipitation, water level, soil and water conservation, velocity and flow, moisture, evaporation, groundwater, and ice.

“Testing and verification is a “firewall” between the market and the site. Before all hydrological monitoring facilities go from the manufacturer to the first-line hydrological station network, they must go through laboratory testing and verification in accordance with national standards.” Gao Wei said, “The certificate of conformity is necessary, and the verification certificate is just needed, and we focus on the quality, not on the brand." Last year, the certified multi-manufacturers and multiple hydrological equipment were rejected by the construction party due to big errors and low accuracy.

A craftsman builds in a tiny place and fine workmanship lies in millimetre. Gao Wei, who has nearly 20 years of experience in metrological verification, has witnessed the journey of East China Testing Center from hydrological instrument research and development to testing verification, achievement transformation, and production, education and research. The former apprentice became a master, and the master became a "craftsman". In 2014, Gao Wei and his colleagues participated in the drafting of national standards such as "hydrological survey device", "water level test bench verification method", and "weighing rain gauge calibration specification".     Today, they are still obsessively pursuing numbers and precision within the smallest millimeters.

"We use Shandong as the'experiment field' to establish an information management platform to realize the'one network in the whole province' for the management of hydrological monitoring facilities and equipment." Jiang Songyan, the person in charge of technology, introduced that hydrological instruments and equipment are pasted with unique two-dimensional code identification, input platform, authority classification, unified supervision, and real-time grasp of basic information and operation of equipment manufacturers, affiliated units, station names, instrument maintenance, use status, etc. All business data information such as status, daily verification and maintenance, and obsolescence period can be traced and checked. "We have one more process, and we have more peace of mind on the front line."

The East China Testing Center has made breakthroughs in innovation by firmly fixing the star, taking up the responsibility of water conservation, and escorting the safety of hydrological big data. In 2020, it will create a precedent in the quality supervision of national soil and water conservation monitoring facilities in Tai'an and Weifang, Shandong. In March of this year, using science and technology as the medium to build a nest to attract the phoenix, the Hohai University (Weifang) Intelligent Sensing Technology Innovation Research Institute was jointly established by the Shandong Hydrological Center, Hohai University, and the People’s Government of Weifang City, focusing on smart water conservancy. , Hydrology and water resources, ecological environment, farmland water conservancy, online monitoring and other fields to carry out research on smart industry application technology, and build a production base for smart sensing technology and equipment in East China.

Zheng Yuan, a doctoral supervisor of Hohai University, said: “The integration of scientific and technological resources and high-end talents is the breakthrough road for local and regional smart hydrology.”

"Data Precision" serves "Hydrological Digitization", which will become the "Silicon Valley" of hydrological and water resources monitoring and water measurement technology experiments. The future can be expected.

Correspondent Zhou Debao Kong Tao