Abstract—Free-floating sensor packages that take local measurements
and track flows in water systems, known as drifters,
are a standard tool in oceanography, but are new to estuarial and
riverine studies. A system based on drifters for making estimates
on a hydrodynamic system requires the drifters themselves,
a communication network, and a method for integrating the
gathered data into an estimate of the state of the hydrodynamics.
This paper presents a complete drifter system and documents
a pilot experiment in a controlled channel. The utility of the
system for making measurements in unknown environments
is highlighted by a combined parameter estimation and data
assimilation algorithm using an extended Kalman filter. The
performance of the system is illustrated with field data collected
at the Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit, Stillwater, OK.