IBM uses big data for flood control and water management project in the Netherlands

IBM has launched Digital Delta, a project that will use insights from big data to better manage flood control and water systems in the Netherlands.

The programme has been initiated in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry for Water (Rijkswaterstaat), local water authority Delfland, Deltares Science Institute and the University of Delft.

The solution will include precipitation measurements, water level and water quality monitors, levee sensors, radar data, model predictions, as well as current and historic maintenance data from sluices, pumping stations, locks and dams.

Digital Delta will analyse water data from a wide range of existing data and provide the authorities with relevant information to determine the best course of action during extreme weather conditions.

Authorities can use the new system to address a wide range of concerns from drinking water quality to the increasing frequency and impact of extreme weather-related events such as floods and droughts.

Rijkswaterstaat director general Jan Hendrik Dronkers said that collecting and analysing this water data will provide the Dutch government with detailed information to better prepare and protect citizens, business and infrastructure.

"As flooding is an increasing problem in many regions of the world, we hope that the Digital Delta project can serve as a replicable solution for better water management anywhere in the world," Dronkers added.

Water authorities are expecting to use the better-integrated information to prevent disasters and environmental degradation, while reducing the cost of managing water by up to 15%.

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Image: The map showing impact of flood on Netherlands. Photo: courtesy of IBM.