DamWatch® – A Web-Based Software System to Monitor Watershed Dams in Oklahoma

Oklahoma NRCS and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission have worked with USEngineering Solutions Corp. to implement their Software as a Service (SaaS) application DamWatch to monitor and store data for 2,100 watershed dams in Oklahoma.
DamWatch is a patented web-based system that allows watershed sponsors and NRCS and State Dam Safety personnel to store and retrieve data, monitor storm events, and respond to potentially destructive flood events. The system can be accessed in the office or through any mobile device since it is accessed through a web address. Only preapproved users with a password can access the system.
The system gathers real-time rainfall and stream flow data from sources such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather Service (NWS), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). DamWatch then compares meteorological and hydrologic data against established site-specific thresholds and alerts predetermined staff of anticipated spillway flows.
The Oklahoma system stores 30,000 files of site-specific data such as as-built drawings, design data, O&M inspection reports, emergency action plans, breach inundation maps, photos, videos and watershed benefit data. Remote access to this data enables NRCS users the ability to interact with on-site personnel and specialists in various offices.
The system also employs automated communication capabilities that alert users by various means, which include cellular phones, pagers, fax transmissions, and e-mails. Users are further enabled with the ability to create and send individual or broadcast messages. Upon notification, appropriate staff can be dispatched as needed during or after a flood event to specific structures for which alerts were issued. The system also provides navigation aids to direct the user to the site.
This presentation will review the initial design and loading of data, implementation, and operational experiences of the DamWatch system in Oklahoma. 10 pp.