VISUALIZATION OF THE SOCA RIVER SECTION AND WATER FLOW MODELLING FOR KAYAKING

Aleš GOLJA, Uroš ARNEŽ, Dušan PETROVIC

ABSTRACT: The Soca river is one of the most beautiful Alpine rivers. Its green colour, gorges and cascades and surrounding landscape attract many tourists and water sports enthusiasts. However, the use of the river for kayaking, rafting and similar activities depends mostly on water height and flow, which can change very quickly. In such cases it is essential to keep potential river users informed about the situation, about the possibility of activity in case of low water or about possible dangers in high water time. At the moment, the decision about activities on the river can be made only by observing the river level at some specific points and upon experiences. To enable more relevant information about the river status a 3D model of one of the most attractive sections of the river Socawas prepared. The model is based on official topographic data (DEM, orthophoto) and field GPS measurements. It gives a very detailed presentation of the river basin, with all prominent rocks, cascades and river banks. Changing water levels in the model enable visual simulation of the situation. For the future the idea is to include real time water level measurement and to calculate hydraulic behaviour of the water in the river basin. Such simulation would enable almost real time predictions of the river situation. They can be used by river authorities to balance activities on the water.

Keywords: Soca Valley, leisure activities, recreation, tourism, sustainable development, 3D model.

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