The IJkdijk focuses on the development, testing and validation of sensor systems in water defences. The UrbanFlood project will investigate the use of this sensor network technology in flood embankments to support online early warning systems and real time emergency management.

Application of the technology to support routine asset management, which includes the regular inspection of dikes, will also be considered. Safer dikes are not only stronger but also smarter dikes.

Early Warning Systems (EWS) can play a crucial role in mitigating flood risk by detecting potentially unsafe conditions and predicting the onset of a catastrophe before the event occurs, and by providing real time information on the behaviour and strength of a flood defence structure during an event.

UrbanFlood will investigate and show the feasibility of remotely monitoring dikes and floods, whether from nearby offices or from other countries and continents through the secure use of Internet based technology.

The systems that process and use the sensor data, such as models of the flood defence structure (strength and behaviour, failure mechanisms, breach development) and of the resulting flood inundation, along with the necessary visualization software, will all be linked using Internet technologies. This will be achieved through the combination of six partner organizations, drawn from four different countries, each a leading organization within its own specialist field.

The IJkdijk foundation cooperates with Urban Flood, for example in the LiveDijk projects. In the cooperation, both project strive for developing a standard for i.e. ICT-infrastructure and datatransport. Both project expect synergy benefits from this cooperation.

For more details please visit the UrbanFlood website, or contact the project coordinator: robert.meijer@tno.nl (+31 (0)50 5857759).

UrbanFlood partners are:

TNO, Information and Communication Technology (The Netherlands)

University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

STOWA, Dutch acronym for the Foundation for Applied Water Research (The Netherlands)

HR Wallingford (United Kingdom)

ACC Cyfronet AGH (Poland)

OOO Siemens (Russia)

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