South Australia seeks collaboration with Dutch research programme on smart solutions to reduce flood risks
Flood information experts from the Netherlands visited the Department for Water of the Government of South Wales in Adelaide as part of an international collaboration project aimed at conducting a trial of flood intelligence capabilities developed in the Netherlands by Flood Control 2015 in the context of two urban areas prone to flash flooding in South Australia.
Developing innovative solutions
Funded by the Dutch government, Flood Control 2015 is a public/private partnership aimed at developing innovative solutions to achieve "A really substantial improvement in operational flood protection worldwide".
To fulfill this mission, Flood Control 2015 has been looking for partners to conduct case studies to evaluate innovations developed in the Netherlands in an international context. The Department for Water (DFW) has been instrumental in working to establish South Australia as an international case study.
A satellite measures ground motion within a few millimetres; red dots means a change compared to a previous meassurement.
Right information at the right time
The right information at the right time plays a critical role in informing decisions about preparedness and response to floods. Flash flooding in particular poses a challenge as the time between availability of information and response can be quite short. The areas chosen are the Brown Hill Keswick Creek which feeds into the Patawalonga and a number of drainage areas across the Port Adelaide region.
Unique opportunity to exchange knowledge
Andrew Johnson, Department for Water, Flood Hazard Leader, said that this collaboration provides South Australia with a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge with an international team on capabilities to mitigate flood risks by integrating important and diverse sources of information. "We are always looking for ways to improve the flood preparedness and response systems that we have in place", said Johnson.
"Tiers of government work together extremely effectively when it comes to dealing with natural disasters of any kind, however we are constantly looking for ways we can improve how we do things."
Capabilities developed in the Netherlands
"The decisions made when flooding is likely to occur can have a significant impact on our communities. We are keen to learn from our international partners and to understand the potential that capabilities such as the ones developed in the Netherlands can have for mitigating flood risk in South Australia."
The visit by representatives from the Dutch Flood Control 2015 collaboration partners, IBM and Deltares, familiarised them with the current South Australian situation in relation to flooding, the current processes, needs, issues and landscape.
This news item was originally published on the website of the Government of South Australia.
Read also the article on the latest Dutch innovations to reduce flood risks: High tech flood protection: how Dutch dikes are getting smart - via satellites and sensors.
Visit Flood Risk 2012, an international congress co-organized by Flood Control 2015 on flood risk assessment and flood event management from 20-22 November 2012 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The congress is subtitled ‘science, policy and practice: closing the gap’ and will bring together science, policy and practice.
More information on the programme: FloodRisk 2012.
More information
Flood Control 2015 programme
Delft, the Netherlands
+31 88 3357446
www.floodcontrol2015