The Dutch water sector has played a leading role in the global approach to water-related problems for many years. This success is due to our unique combination of knowledge, technology and experience. To maintain this position in a world where the challenges surrounding water management continue to increase, it is essential to keep innovating. Artificial intelligence and data science offer powerful tools to make our systems more efficient and future-proof.
The challenge: weather extremes and climate change
Climate change presents us with increasingly complex issues. In the coming decades, we will have to deal with more extreme rain showers, risks of flooding and drought, more saltwater intrusion and, above all, a sharper rise in sea levels. The question is how we should make optimal use of our water and soil system to cope with these extremes and how we should (re)design areas to limit damage caused by, for example, flooding, but also drought.
The predictive power of historical datasets, on which much of our water management is based, is declining, because patterns from the past no longer reflect changing reality. This makes it more difficult to make accurate predictions about the behavior of water systems in extreme situations.
Digitalisation as the key to innovation
AI and data science can offer a solution with self-learning systems that also include data from the new situation in predictions. In addition, we can use it to learn from (changing) patterns, optimize water system management, improve models and gain new insights for, for example, drought forecasting and digital dike monitoring with remote sensing. AI helps to integrate data from sensors and satellites, which is essential for future-proof management. Digitalization is indispensable for these challenges. The Netherlands has a lot of experience with real-time data use and advanced models, which provides a good basis for further integrating AI and data science and making our systems more efficient.
The role of DigiShape: accelerating through collaboration
By strengthening collaborations and knowledge exchange between governments, companies and knowledge institutions, DigiShape ensures that new technologies and insights are developed and applied faster. An example of this is the setting up of the Water and Climate working group of the AIC4NL (Dutch AI Coalition). DigiShape actively initiates and supports these types of public-private partnerships, so that the Dutch water sector maintains its leading position and contributes to sustainable solutions worldwide.
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