W2O: from rainfall forecast to actionable perspective on water nuisance

Introduction

W2O translates weather forecasts into concrete risks of water nuisance at a local level. The service supports authorities in anticipating extreme weather conditions by making visible not only the weather situation, but above all the possible consequences.

  • Duration: 2019–present
  • Client: 9 municipalities, water boards and safety regions
  • Keywords: innovation, water nuisance, warnings, impact forecasting, extreme weather conditions, decision support
  • Models & Tools: dashboards, APIs, hydrological models, meteorological models, historical and current measurement data
  • Partner: Weather Impact

Background

Need for insight

The extreme water nuisance in South Limburg in July 2021 made it clear that rainfall is often forecast well, but that the impact of that rainfall is much harder to interpret. Authorities need timely, location-specific information about the risk of water nuisance so that they can act earlier. The central question was: how do you translate rainfall forecasts into a concrete actionable perspective for practice?

Method

Flood models

HydroLogic developed W2O as a service that brings together various data sources and translates them into impact information. W2O combines historical data, current measurements, meteorological forecasts and hydrological characteristics. This information is used to determine the probability of water nuisance per location.

W2O looks ahead across several time horizons, from very short to medium term: 0–2 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. The results are made available via flexible dashboards and automatic warnings, tailored to the user. W2O is developed in co-creation with an active community of municipalities, water boards, safety regions and knowledge partners.

The result

Reliable information

W2O gives water managers concrete insight into the risks of water nuisance at a local level, down to street level. The service supports faster and more targeted warnings and helps in making well-founded decisions before limiting the consequences of water nuisance. In this way, W2O contributes to limiting damage to cities, infrastructure and agriculture and to reducing societal impact.

What did the project deliver?

  • Insight into water nuisance risks per location
  • Actionable perspective in extreme weather conditions
  • Improved weather forecasts based on AI
  • Active user community
“W2O shows how you translate data into action: from weather forecast to a concrete actionable perspective on water nuisance.”
Bram Schnitzler | project lead
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