Water Level Indicator Cologne — Project Overview
Water Level Indicator Cologne is a web-based application designed to monitor and visualize the water level of the Rhine River in Cologne. Developed under the Digital Heritage Lab umbrella and released under the MIT License, the project offers both utility and open collaboration potential GitHub.
What Does It Do?
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Data Source & Purpose
The project fetches real-time water level data provided by Cologne Open Data, and presents a graphical and 3D visualization of these fluctuations. The main goal is to assess potential flood risks and make it easier for professionals—like archaeologists or city workers—to work safely even when excavation might be at risk due to water level changes. -
Background & Motivation
The idea originated from a real-world challenge: an archaeological excavation was interrupted due to unknown or unpredictable water levels. This sparked the initiative to create a practical, real-time monitoring tool.
Technical Stack at a Glance
| Component | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Back-End | Node.js with Express.js, CORS, node-fetch, and xml2js |
| Front-End | HTML5, CSS, Vanilla JavaScript with Fetch API |
| Visuals | Graphical and (planned) 3D visualizations to represent water-level data |
This combination ensures a lightweight yet functional architecture, offering flexibility for both visualization and API development.
Invitation to Collaborate
The project is designed with open contribution in mind. You’re invited to help scale its capabilities—whether through:
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Enhancing the API for broader usage or performance.
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Adding new visualizations, perhaps more advanced graphs or 3D renderings.
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Integrating the API into other platforms or adding new functional modules.
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Sharing ideas or helping solve challenges the project might face