These are the winning plans
KLIC at Sea, Digital Dike and Sight Forecasts for Safe Shipping will each receive €10,000 seed money from DigiShape this year. During the DigiShape Open Source Platforms Day on October 15, 2025, the three teams presented their ideas and it became clear that all three proposals will receive financial support to further develop their plan.
Below you can read more about the three projects.
KLIC at Sea – one reliable database for the North Sea
With the rapid growth of wind farms, cables and pipelines, the North Sea region is becoming increasingly busy. Data about infrastructure is now spread across different sources and poses challenges for spatial planning. The identified security risks as a result of geopolitical developments are an additional reason to have a good picture of the infrastructure of the North Sea.
The KLIC at Sea project, with partners Periplus, Rijkswaterstaat and Van Oord, aims to work towards a single, central, reliable and secure database: a ‘single point of truth’ for subsea infrastructure.
With the seed money, the team will investigate which data sources there are, which information is reliable and who should become the owner of this central database. According to project leader Bart van Mierlo (Periplus), the goal of this phase is “a convincing plan of about ten pages, with a blueprint of what we have, where we are going and why this is crucial.”
The first step is now a follow-up meeting with Periplus, Rijkswaterstaat and Van Oord to determine the next steps.
Digital Dike – proof-of-concept for the digital dike
De Digitale Dijk is a BZIM, HHNK en Deltares initiative The objective: to explore the added value of a (detailed) digital twin for the management and maintenance of dykes. And the ability to apply a digital twin to optimise the emergency response organisation.
During the brainstorming session at the DigiShape day, the session provided valuable input: how do you build such a digital twin in a way that other parties can easily join? The project aims to make the model architecture in such a way that it can be widely used and can also be applied by other asset owners/dike managers in their management areas.
Pitcher Karel Hagemans from BZIM: ‘The brainstorming session was very useful, thanks to the diverse input, including that from the water board, Deltares and TKI. They helped us to formulate more clearly that the goal lies in management and emergencies. And how you can better organise the emergency response organisation.’
In the coming period, a joint brainstorming and kick-off with HHNK and Deltares will follow to further shape the Plan of Action.
Visibility Forecasts for Safe Shipping – AI Model That Looks 48 Hours Ahead
The third winning proposal, PortVision – Visibility Forecasts for Safe Shipping, is developing an AI model that can predict visibility in ports up to 48 hours ahead.
Visibility is still a ‘blind spot’ in port logistics: we can accurately predict wind and tides, but fog often remains a surprise. Using data from KNMI, ECMWF and satellites, combined with local measurements in the Port of Rotterdam, the team wants to see if it is possible to build a reliable prediction model. The goal is to build a working prototype of an AI model that generates visibility forecasts by combining weather data, satellite images and local measurements for the Rotterdam port area.
The seed money makes it possible to realize a working prototype and to investigate how the method can also be applied to other parameters, such as energy production or water quality.
Pitcher Sophie de Roda Husman (HKV) responded enthusiastically: ‘During the brainstorming session, I received some really interesting input, such as the fact that poor visibility and fog are not only a problem in the port, but also outside it and in other areas, such as on the road. For me, that was really the insight of the day. With the new contacts and ideas I have gained, including outside the port world, we can move forward.’
Continuation
The three teams will continue to develop their plans over the coming months. New parties are also welcome to join. We will keep the network informed of the results and next steps via the newsletter and LinkedIn.
About the DigiShape seedmoney
Every year we make a call for seedmoney projects within the community. These are fresh, promising initiatives that are in line with our domains and in which partners work together on a first proof of concept, prototype or experiment. Read more about DigiShape seedmoney
