On Tuesday 27 May 2025, Rijkswaterstaat and DigiShape jointly organised an inspiring day around the AI Impulse Programme for water movement models. A day full of energy, questions, insights and the joint ambition to make AI really valuable for water management in the Netherlands.
A shared task: applying AI in the main water system
The morning started with presentations by Rijkswaterstaat, KNMI, Deltares, TU Delft and FloodWaive. The contributions showed that the technology – Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) – is available. But the real challenge lies in its application within the main water system.
Classic hydrodynamic models are powerful, but slow. A single model for the North Sea now sometimes requires five hours of calculation time. An ML model can do that in less than a minute. This brings real-time scenario analysis into the picture. But how do we put such fast models into practice responsibly?
Questions that matter
During the morning, a number of central questions were central, including:
- How do we link user questions (“user stories”) to technical use cases?
- How do we ensure that ML models can address a variety of water management problems?
- What does operationalizing AI models mean for management and maintenance?
- How do we guarantee explainability and confidence in the results?
- What role do data, infrastructure and governance play in the transition?
- And how can we make co-creation with partners sustainable?
These questions came not only from the speakers, but also in lively discussions with participants. Critical questions were asked about topics such as bias in training data, the reliability of wave spectra, the translation of extreme into daily conditions and the role of public and private parties in the development and ownership of models. As one of the participants remarked:
“It was useful that there were people from different backgrounds, so that more aspects of the subject were discussed.”
One moment that made an impression was when Hans Korving – after his in-depth presentation – answered a question from the audience with the simple sentence: “I don’t know.” This honest acknowledgment of complexity showed that none of us has all the answers, but that we have to do it together to move forward.
Presentations
- Kickoff meeting presentation
- Deltares Presentation AI emulators for extreme storm surges
- Deltares Presentation TurboSWAN
- Deltares Presentation LobithNN
- Floodwaive Presentation AI for Rhine Low-Flow Forecasting
- RWS Presentation Procurement and contracting
Afternoon: from questions to joint exploration
After lunch, participants split up into two parallel sessions, in which four substantive topics were deepened:
- Use stories & use cases: How do we ensure that we develop technology that really meets user demands?
- Data & ICT infrastructure: How do we make data findable, reliable, and suitable for operational use? Which software components are suitable for having ML models delivered?
- Algorithms & models: What is needed to scale up this technology and embed it sustainably in work processes?
- Governance & communication: How do we ensure explainability, trust, accountability and good decision-making?
After a short introduction, there was plenty of discussion about (im)possibilities, opportunities and threats, with the focus on how to optimally include these matters in the RWS AI modelling programme. After a short plenary feedback of these sessions, Annette Zijderveld outlined the outlook for the RWS programme and the way in which cooperation (both in terms of content and procedural) with the partners present can be shaped during the process.
Energy, diversity and ownership
According to the organizers, it was “a successful day with a lot of energy, content and solution-oriented discussions.” The evaluation also showed a positive picture:
“Nice meeting people with different backgrounds.”
“A nice balance between market, government and knowledge institutions.”
“The open character and the short pitches worked well.”
And now?
The promise of fast, flexible, and explainable AI models for water management is in the air. But this is only possible if we continue to work together – across domains, disciplines and sectors. In the coming months, DigiShape, Rijkswaterstaat and partners will work together on the further elaboration of the programme, with room for input from all stakeholders.
After a formal start of the programme in the summer, the core group will formulate assignments and tasks for the various work packages and implement them together with the partners. Details about the shape will be further worked out in the coming weeks. Subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of this page to stay informed.
