River Levels Data on-line

Wow, been asking for that for years much better than those silly rising/falling warnings, real data:) Is it new or has it been there for a while?
 
Its new and very handy indeed. We have been watching it for a week or so now for the rivers in our area. All of which are running low.
 
Chris_d said:
Wow, been asking for that for years much better than those silly rising/falling warnings, real data:) Is it new or has it been there for a while?
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Still rather complicated and difficult to interpret for most simple souls ( no doubt Oldgit will be along to disagree with me shortly !).

Given that all the locks have headwater targets (-3" to +6" ? ) I would have thought with that level of info available we should be able to see some simple table giving current status - for instance Penton Hook to Chertsey +3 or Bray to Boveney -2 - in other words something that gives us a steer on variation around 'normal' depth.
 
boatone said:
Still rather complicated and difficult to interpret for most simple soulsQUOTE]

Well you can go back to the "Stream Increasing" "Stream Decreasing" simple sole stuff if you want, but unfiltered by an EA nanny data I think is great.

However checked it this morning and currently unavaliable, thought it was too good to be true no doubt being converted to some simple red, green, yellow system for idiots.
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Chris_d said:
Well you can go back to the "Stream Increasing" "Stream Decreasing" simple sole stuff if you want,
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That is not the question and that info will, as I understand it, continue to be available as at present. The problem is that it only tells us if things are getting worse or better and gives no indication of actual river depth.

The new data availability may be detailed and exact but it is not easy to interpret - at least I dont thinks so ! Take a look at any of the stretches info and try and relate it to an absolute depth in the river at any point - cant be done. The 'real' info we can work with is simply whether the 'normal ' level is 'up' or 'down' and by how much, and thats all I want to know. If I know that the headwater at Romney is +6" then I know I need to lower my canopy as well as my arch to get under Windsor Bridge!! If I know that the stretch below Abingdon is -3" I know that, with my boat at least, I am going to have a problem with depth of water in the fairway.

I am not denying the usefulness of having precise data available. I do not, however, believe it is of great value to a simple sailor navigating the river at any moment in time.
 
boatone said:
That is not the question and that info will, as I understand it, continue to be available as at present. The problem is that it only tells us if things are getting worse or better and gives no indication of actual river depth.

The new data availability may be detailed and exact but it is not easy to interpret - at least I dont thinks so ! Take a look at any of the stretches info and try and relate it to an absolute depth in the river at any point - cant be done. The 'real' info we can work with is simply whether the 'normal ' level is 'up' or 'down' and by how much, and thats all I want to know. If I know that the headwater at Romney is +6" then I know I need to lower my canopy as well as my arch to get under Windsor Bridge!! If I know that the stretch below Abingdon is -3" I know that, with my boat at least, I am going to have a problem with depth of water in the fairway.

I am not denying the usefulness of having precise data available. I do not, however, believe it is of great value to a simple sailor navigating the river at any moment in time.
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But that is exactly what it does show, a normal range and the current level within it and some history so you can see which way it is going. Maybe its the metric numbers that is confusing:)
 
Chris_d said:
But that is exactly what it does show, a normal range and the current level within it and some history so you can see which way it is going. Maybe its the metric numbers that is confusing:)
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Yep - information overload ! If I'm at home sitting in front of the Pc browsing it really doesnt matter, but when I am on the river actually moving around I just want the simple facts pertinent to navigating.

Thanks for calling me an old fart so nicely :D

Seriously, how do I get this info when Im in a live navigating situation - probably by text message or on a PDI/iPhone so it needs to be short and sweet.

When I go througha lock I can ask the Lockie what the current level is and he will say 'up 3"' or whatever. All I want is the same info at my fingertips - not much to ask with modern technology - or is it?
 
Not sure anybody would really need this live on the go, maybe in the depths of winter but these days its easy to access a website via numerous means.

For me its ideal for when I'm not down the boat and can decide whether I need to go down and adjust lines or not, its a good start anyway.
 
I had a quick look last week, but as Chris says, can't check further today.
What I was disappointed about was that there doesn't appear to be any data regarding Clifton Hamden. That's the most critical level for me, shallow water and low bridge, it's always fingers crossed going through there, and it looks like it will remain so.
 
Brayman said:
I had a quick look last week, but as Chris says, can't check further today.
What I was disappointed about was that there doesn't appear to be any data regarding Clifton Hamden. That's the most critical level for me, shallow water and low bridge, it's always fingers crossed going through there, and it looks like it will remain so.
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I looked at the data for Days Lock, I assumed it was the upstream side so would be relavent for Clifton Hampden but can't check.
 
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