DigiShape Open Source Platforms (D-OSP)

Cohesion and cooperation at water sector level

The Dutch water sector is known worldwide for its innovative approach. Yet this leading position is at risk of being lost if the digital transition is not accelerated. Although many organizations digitize individually, there is a lack of cohesion and cooperation at the sector level. As a joint initiative of the business community, government and knowledge institutions, DigiShape is the perfect place to give this an impulse.

Aim of this project

The project focuses on removing three key barriers that hinder digital collaboration between organisations:

• Trust: How do you share data securely and in a controlled manner, without disclosing it completely?
• Interoperability: How do you avoid duplication of effort and ensure that systems and algorithms are compatible?
• Shared infrastructure: How do you collaborate with large datasets without duplication, for example via cloud solutions?

Overcoming these obstacles will enable and accelerate the adoption of AI techniques within the industry. This is done through dialogue, joint solutions and testing in four practice-oriented use cases and a desktop study:

1. Water and Logistics
2. Captain Hindsight
3. Digital Twin Waterways
4. Coastal Mangrove Opportunity Wheel
5. Desktop Study: Infrastructure and Operability

Partners and collaboration

The project is supported by a strong coalition of DigiShape partners from different domains:

• Witteveen+Bos
• Van Oord
• TU Delft
• Deltares

Together, they combine their knowledge and experience to shape the digital transition of the water sector. The collaboration is aimed at developing shared standards, infrastructure and trust between parties.

Intended results

The project aims to achieve concrete and sustainable improvements in digital cooperation within the water sector:

• A platform for sharing algorithms and data
• Increased trust through transparency and clear agreements
• Improved interoperability through shared standards and tools
• Efficient use of cloud and modern data infrastructure
• Broad dissemination of knowledge through training and dialogue

By learning from examples from other domains (such as tfHub, Kaggle and WandB) and translating them to the water sector, we expect to achieve tangible results.

D-OSP use cases

Use case 1: Water and Logistics

Within this use case, stimulating the use of the open source toolboxes OpenCLSIM and OpenTNSIM is central. These toolboxes were co-developed by DigiShape partners and offer powerful simulation capabilities for logistics processes in the water sector.

Purpose

The aim is to gain insight into the quality and usability of these toolboxes, so that they can be applied more widely within water and delta technology.

Work

The use case consists of two parts:

1. General quality assurance

• Development of assessment frameworks for quality and management processes.
• Setting up a process for adding new algorithms/modules.
• Integration of code, including:
  • Port Accessibility Tool
  • Locking Tool
  • Energy Module

2. Expansion

• In collaboration with Witteveen+Bos and TU Delft, Deltares is investigating the usability of the toolboxes for a variety of applications related to civil engineering works.

Cooperation

This use case is an example of how knowledge sharing, open source development and practical application come together. Through intensive collaboration between Deltares, TU Delft and Witteveen+Bos, work is being done on a robust and widely applicable digital toolbox for the water sector.

Use case 2: Captain Hindsight

This use case focuses on developing a web-based application that can be used to reconstruct historical events in the water sector. By using various data sources and advanced visualization techniques, it becomes possible to re-analyze and understand complex situations from the past.

Purpose

Many policy choices in the water sector are based on past incidents, such as:

• The flood disasters of 1916 and 1953;
• Maritime disasters such as the Erika and Prestige;
• Recent incidents such as the collision of Julietta D, the flooding in Limburg, and the lost containers of the MSC Zoë.

The goal is to reconstruct these events visually and interactively, so that insights can be better shared and understood.

Approach

Work is being done on:

• A web application that combines and visualizes data sources;
• Integration of flow models with OpenCLSim for accurate simulations
• Use of visualization techniques such as:
  • Deck.gl for time-dependent visualizations;
  • Mapbox-gl or Leaflet for map components;
  • Echarts for time series;
  • Leaflet.TrackPlayBack for vessel movement playback;
  • Timing Objects for synchronization.

Example cases

There are two example cases: visualization and integration with GTSM data.

Results

• Added “sailing over graphs” functionality to OpenCLSim (version v1.6.0);
• A sample notebook and visualization of a logged trip;
• Development of story maps for the cases;

This use case shows how digital techniques can contribute to a better understanding of the past, and thus to better policy and decision-making in the future.

Captain Hindsight Part 2 – Interoperability with Data Sources

An important part of this use case is the demonstrable realization of interoperability between external data sources and simulation models such as OpenCLSIM and OpenTNSIM. By making links with existing models and systems, it becomes possible to effectively use data from different sources in reconstructions and simulations.

Activities

• Link with GTSM: Deltares makes output of the GTSM model available via an API, so that flow data along shipping routes can be retrieved directly from a cloud bucket (e.g. Azure).
• Integration with OpenCLSIM/OpenTNSIM: Realization of links between flow models and simulations, e.g. for free routing on open water.
• Link with Delft-FEWS: This makes it possible to integrate operational data and predictions into simulations and visualisations.

This interoperability makes it possible to make realistic and dynamic reconstructions of complex situations, in which data from different sources comes together in one integrated image.

Use case 3: Digital Twin Waterways – Deepening and expansion

This use case builds on the completed TKI project TRANS2 and focuses on improving code portability and modelling the critical waterways in the Netherlands. The work package consists of two parts: Transferability and Criticality.

Code portability

The aim is to better organise existing and additional code for the Digital Twin Waterways (DTV) and make it usable for reuse within the sector. Important activities are:

• Repository cleanup: Many extensions are not yet integrated into the main code, leading to ambiguity and inefficiency.
• Integration of the EURIS graph: This graph will be tested as an alternative to the current FIS graph and may be added as an optional functionality.
• Merge lock modules: Both a simplified module from TRANS2 and an advanced module are integrated.
• Knowledge sharing: Documentation and transfer of knowledge to partners and DigiShape community are organized to broaden the use of the DTV.

Modelling the criticality of waterways

This section examines which waterways in the Netherlands are the most critical. This is done by simulating blockages and analysing the impact on shipping and cargo flows. A waterway is critical if:

• There are no detour possibilities;
• A lot of (socially relevant) connotation goes over it.

These simulations provide insight into the vulnerability of the waterway network and allow policy measures to be better substantiated. This section is in line with recommendations from the TRANS2 study ‘Omvaren’.

Use case 4: Coastal Mangrove Opportunity Wheel

Mangroves provide valuable ecosystem services and are increasingly being used as a Nature-based Solution (NbS) for coastal protection, risk reduction and climate adaptation. This use case explores global opportunities for mangrove-inclusive projects, with a specific focus on restoration in abandoned aquaculture areas and its effect on flood risks.

The work package is led by Deltares and consists of three parts:

1. Mapping of restorable mangrove habitat

• Identification of areas with potential for mangrove restoration.
• Connection with existing initiatives such as the Mangrove Restoration Potential Map (IUCN, TNC, Cambridge University).
• Use of historical habitat maps and current land use data, corrected for urbanization.

2. Feasibility test

• Analysis of physical and socioeconomic factors such as:
  • tide, sea level rise, wave height, morphological trends;
  • changes in mangrove cover, presence of reefs;
  • population density and abandoned aquaculture areas;
• Development of a classification method based on these factors.
• Hosting of standardized data layers on a GeoServer or STAC environment.
• Collaboration with WP3 to explore suitable digital environments (cloud buckets).

3. Translation into flood risk reduction

• For promising areas, it is calculated how much risk reduction mangrove restoration can yield.
• Use of a global 2D SFINCS model to quantify the effect of mangroves on flood dynamics.
• Guidance by a mangrove expert committee to ensure scientific and practical insights.

This use case combines environmental, technical and socio-economic data to identify opportunities for sustainable coastal protection with mangroves worldwide. It offers the Dutch water sector a unique opportunity to make an international impact with innovative NbS solutions.

5. Desktop Study: Infrastructure and Operability

In the desktop study “Infrastructure and Operability”, we focus on solving technical issues to enable collaboration between multiple organizations in an interoperable (multi)cloud environment, among other things in the above-mentioned use cases. The emphasis is on sharing data via cloud buckets and working together on code.

Approach

• Architectural development:
  • Design of an open source interoperability layer.
  • Use of cloud-native solutions with data storage in buckets from different vendors.
  • Provisioning services with open source software.
  • Safeguarding information security through testing by an expert.
• Research and development:
  • Desk study on hybrid-multicloud solutions, including best practices such as Haven.
  • Use of knowledge and experience of the partners involved.
• Technical realization:
  • Integration of multiple cloud vendors (Azure, Leafcloud, Google) and alternative storage (such as physical servers or VMs).
  • Comparative research into the usability of cloud buckets for data distribution.
  • Making open source models/code available (such as OpenCLSim and OpenTNSim).
  • Development of access management (authorization) for data and models.

Result

A note for DigiShape comparing cloud solutions (Azure, Leafcloud, Google, SURFDrive, MinIO) for usability and interoperability.

Cooperation

This desktop study is being led by Deltares in collaboration with the other project partners.