Urban Flood

Safer dykes are not only stronger but also smarter dykes.

The UrbanFlood project will create an Early Warning System framework that can be used to link sensors via the Internet to predictive models and emergency warning systems. The data collected from the sensors will be interpreted to assess the condition and likelihood of failure; different computational models will be used to predict the failure mode and subsequent inundation in real time. Through the Internet, additional computational resources required by the framework are made available on demand.

UvA SCS is resposible for WorkPackage 4, Modelling, Simulation, Visualisation and Decision Support, and actively involved in WP5, Common Information Space, aimed at the development of an infrastructure for high-performance and high-throughput processing of sensor data streams, and an environment for end-users to run applications and manage their results. To investigte new HPC Cloud technologies, a joint project with SARA has been intiated, under the auspices of the BiG Grid programme.

UrbanFlood Partners:

• University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Cyfronet, Poland
• HR Wallingford, United Kingdom
• OOO Siemens, Russia
• STOWA, The Netherlands
• TNO, The Netherlands

Project coordinator: Rob Meijer, TNO

UvA coordinator: Alfons Hoekstra, UvA

WP4 leader and Contact person: Valeria Krzhizhanovskaya, UvA (V.Krzhizhanovskaya at uva dot nl)

Modeling is one of the key tasks in the project. The models will be required to simulate the behavior of the material properties of the layered dikes (sand, clay, peat, grass or concrete cover, metal frame, dam gates, etc.), during extreme hydraulic loading events. In earthen dikes, extra challenge is posed by the non-linear elastic plastic properties of the deformable clay. A realistic simulation of the dike will model the free-surface water dynamics; convective and diffusive transfer of water inside the porous materials; dynamic response of clay to the water pressure; structural mechanics, deformation and actual dike breakdown and flood.

The models shall cover a wide range of scales from a sand grain to a flooded city. The time scales will range from seconds (for water penetrating the soil) to hours (for dike collapse dynamics and ocean tides). Eventually, the models will predict the influence of seasonal and global changes on the stability of flood defense systems. Full 3D transient simulation of dike failure with subsequent inundation will require significant computing resources.

The following link provides a demonstration of interactive inundation simulations on a Microsoft Surface:

Urbanflood - Inundation simulation on a Microsoft Surface