Riverlabs

Riverlabs develops environmental monitoring solutions based on sensor network technologies and research from Imperial College London. The company commercializes technology and expertise developed by Professor Wouter Buytaert and his research team, combining research-led design with two decades of field measurement and validation. Its open-source hardware and consultancy services support the design, production, and implementation of bespoke monitoring systems for rivers, rainfall, soil moisture, and water quality.

Riverlabs offers LiDAR sensors for high-precision distance measurement, ultrasonic sensors for river and stream water-level monitoring, and a self-righting buoy that measures turbidity, temperature, and electrical conductivity. These technologies are used in deployments across 23 countries, with more than 150 active sensors and 45 research partners. Projects include river monitoring with IIT Roorkee in India, flood early-warning systems with Practical Action in Peru, LiDAR-based monitoring in Nepal and Bolivia, and a long-term water-quality network in the Thames Basin with Thames21. Riverlabs works with researchers, community groups, and organizations seeking practical environmental monitoring systems, and shares its work through GitHub.