Development and Implementation of a GIS-Based Safety Monitoring System for Hydropower Station Construction

Abstract

Because of the importance of safety monitoring in the construction of hydropower stations, the development of monitoring systems has drawn more and more attention. Traditional processing techniques for monitored data, such as historical charts, in-site photos, and result maps of measured values in computer-aided drafting (CAD) programs, fail to provide information concerning the spatial aspects of monitored objects. In the past few decades the geographic information system (GIS) and analysis has provided a platform for data analysis because of its strong capabilities in spatial visualization. In this study, a monitoring system that can be applied to hydropower projects is developed on the basis of the powerful spatial visualization and analysis characteristics of GIS. The main tasks of the system are (1) to model instruments and measuring points distinctively according to different perspectives on the basis of the implementation of a set of spatial data modeling tools; (2) to visualize and query spatial data based on their spatial positions; and (3) to display data using three analytical modules. Because of the visual limitations of each of the different modules, the measured values are shown in different ways. In addition, spatial analysis, including interpolation and surface analysis, can be conducted in each module. The proposed system promotes the spatial aspect of hydropower monitoring analysis and is expected to be an efficient tool for improving and maintaining the safety standard for the construction of hydropower stations.