BOS Rivierenland: decision support for daily and crisis-oriented water management

Introduction

Extreme weather conditions place ever higher demands on operational water management. For Rivierenland Water Board, HydroLogic developed an Operational Decision Support System (BOS) that supports daily water level management and decision-making during water nuisance and drought.

  • Duration: 2021–2026
  • Client: Rivierenland Water Board
  • Keywords: operational water management, BOS, water level management, water nuisance, drought, decision support
  • Models & Tools: Delft-FEWS, RTC-Tools, rainfall-runoff model, hydraulic model, optimisation model

Background

Need for insight

The increase in extreme rainfall and dry periods calls for faster and better-founded action in operational water management. At the same time, the amount of available data and the number of policy objectives are increasing. Rivierenland Water Board therefore sought an Operational Decision Support System that helps water managers with daily water level management as well as in crisis situations such as water nuisance. An important starting point was that the system should not only be technically robust, but also fit the organisation, processes and users.

Method

Flood models

HydroLogic supported Rivierenland Water Board in all phases: from definition to implementation of the BOS. In the definition phase, the ambitions, expectations and preconditions were established together with the departments involved. These were aligned with the possibilities of the software, models, the water system and process automation. A project plan, a multi-year budget and requirements for ICT and infrastructure were also drawn up.

In the design phase, HydroLogic developed a functional design that served as the basis for procurement and realisation. In parallel, a stand-alone version of the BOS was built with a calibrated rainfall-runoff model, an RTC-Tools optimisation model and a hydraulic surface water model. This stand-alone version was extensively tested with historical data.

The result

Reliable information

The Operational Decision Support System supports Rivierenland Water Board with well-founded water level management in both normal and extreme conditions. The BOS provides insight into current and expected situations and supports optimal control of the water system. After implementation, the system was handed over to the users through training and a trial-run period, in which further improvements were made.

What did the project deliver?

  • Complete BOS developed from definition to implementation
  • Support for daily water level management and crisis management
  • Tested and validated with historical closed-loop simulations
  • Users trained and system operational in practice
“By approaching technology, models and processes in an integrated way, a BOS is created that works for the water manager’s day-to-day practice.”
Bram Schnitzler | project lead
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