A new monitoring installation on the Danube River near Ruse, Bulgaria, brings together sensor technology, autonomous power supply and geographic information systems within a single floating platform.
The project, developed for the Bulgarian Executive Agency “Maritime Administration”, involves the delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of a sensor-equipped buoy, together with upgrades to an existing Integrated Geographic Information System (GIS).
LDI’s ROW oil detection technology is part of this installation, supporting the integration of environmental monitoring equipment into a wider river monitoring infrastructure.
An Integrated Monitoring Platform on the Danube
The buoy has been installed on the Danube River near Ruse, a location along the Romania–Bulgaria border.
The floating platform combines several technologies, including the LDI ROW sensor, a controller, communication equipment, an Automatic Identification System (AIS), a camera and a solar-powered energy system.
Integrating these components into a single installation requires coordination between instrumentation, power management, data communication and the existing monitoring infrastructure.
The solar-powered configuration supports operation without a conventional grid connection, while the communication equipment enables the buoy to be incorporated into the wider system.
For the ROW sensor, this represents an application in which oil detection is integrated into a multi-sensor monitoring platform rather than deployed as a standalone instrument.
From Sensor Data to GIS Integration
An important part of the project is the integration of the buoy with the existing Integrated Geographic Information System (GIS).
GIS integration provides a framework for connecting monitoring infrastructure with geographic information, allowing sensor-equipped installations to be managed within a broader spatial context.
In this project, the technical scope extends beyond installing the floating platform. It also includes upgrading the existing GIS infrastructure and ensuring that the buoy’s equipment can be integrated into the system.
LDI’s local partner, Scortel, was responsible for the delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of the buoy and its associated equipment, as well as integration with the existing GIS system.
This approach highlights an important consideration in environmental monitoring projects: successful deployment depends not only on individual sensor performance, but also on the compatibility and integration of the complete monitoring architecture.
Supporting Cross-Border Monitoring Infrastructure
The end customer is the Bulgarian Executive Agency “Maritime Administration”, and the project is co-funded by the Interreg VI-A Romania–Bulgaria 2021–2027 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme.
The programme supports cooperation between the two countries, including initiatives related to regional connectivity, environmental protection and sustainable infrastructure.
For LDI, the installation demonstrates how ROW oil detection technology can be incorporated into solar-powered floating platforms alongside other monitoring and communication systems.
Through the collaboration with Scortel, ROW becomes part of an integrated monitoring installation designed for operation on one of Europe’s major international waterways.