LAKE LEVEL VISUALIZATION

solar panel, raspberry pi, ultasonic sensor, dc motor, leds

Hurricane Harvey flooded over 200,000 homes in Houston and almost three quarters of them are above the 100 year flood plain. Although Harvey was a rain event unlike any other, dropping 47 inches of rain in four days, many community members were experiencing their home being flooded for the 3rd or 4th time.

Being new to Houston, I surprised to see where the flooding occurred. During the storm parts of the lake were blocked by forming sandbars. My house did not flood since it is only a few hundred yard from the dam. My in-laws’ house flooded several feet deep because the water pooled deeper behind the sand deposits.

After building a sensor to monitor that water level near my family’s house, I built this robotic installation to visualize the data streamed from the sensor.