Hydroinformatics Master study

at IHE Delft

Dimitri Solomatine
Professor of Hydroinformatics
d.solomatine@un-ihe.org

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Hydroinformaitcs started in IHE Delft in 1991,
by Mike Abbott

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Michael B. Abbott Hydroinformatics
information
and communication
technology
applied to problems of
aquatic environment

Roland K. Price
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 Definition of Hydroinformatics

 The study of the flow of information and the generation of

knowledge

related to the dynamics of water in the real world,

through the integration of modelling, information

technologies and artificial intelligence

taking into account sustainability and social implications

for decision support and smart management of water based

systems

 Hydroinformatics integrates data, models and people

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International recognition of Hydroinformatics

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 Hydroinformatics system: flow of information
Data  Models  Knowledge  Decisions  Impacts

Earth observation, Numerical Weather Computational Access to Decision

monitoring, Prediction and intelligence, modelling support and
data mining Climatic Models integration with results optimization
hydrologic and
hydraulic models

Map of flood probability

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Main research themes of the Hydroinformatics
chair group at IHE Delft
 Main research themes
 A. Data science, artificial and computational intelligence
 B. Hydrological, hydraulic and environmental modelling and
forecasting, and data-model integration
 C. Systems engineering, optimization and control
 D. Uncertainty, decision support and risk management
 with applications to:
 Flood and drought forecasting, and risk management
 Real-time control and anticipatory water management
 Reservoir operation and optimization
 Urban water systems management
 Water quality modelling
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 Books…

1991 2010
2008

2013
Journal
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Papers…

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 Examples of our research projects related to

Hydroinformatics
EU funded projects (1998–)
 TELEFLEUR: “Telematics assisted handling of flood emergencies in urban areas”, 1998-2000
 OSIRIS - Operational Solutions for the Management of Inundation Risks in the Information Society (2000 – 2002)
 FLOODsite: “Integrated flood risk analysis and management methodologies” (2004-2008) (managed turnover
€450000)
 SWITCH: Managing Water for the City of the Future (2007-2011)
 LENVIS: Localised environmental and health information services (2008-2011)
 EnviroGRIDS: Gridded Earth Observation System for Assessing and Predicting Black Sea Basin Sustainability and
Vulnerability (2009-2012)
 KULTURisk – Knowledge-based approach to develop a culture of risk prevention (leading)
 MyWater - Merging hydrologic models and EO data for reliable information on Water
 ICEWater - ICT Solutions for efficient Water Resources Management (managed turnover € 500,000)
 WeSenseIt: Citizen Observatory in Water (managed turnover € 600,000)
 Delft Cluster (Dutch government) projects
 “Communities of practice and knowledge management” (2000-2002)
 “Data mining and data-driven modelling, with applications in civil engineering” (2000-2003), managed turnover
€800,000
 Anticipatory water management (2005-2009)
 “Modelling of sedimentation processes” (2005-2009), managed turnover € 80,000
 “Safety from flooding” (2005-2009), managed turnover € 400,000
 “Water Framework Directive Tools” (2005-2009), managed turnover € 250,000
 UPaRF projects (internal research fund)
 ECOLIVE – The ecology of livelihoods in East-African Wetlands: Wetland Conservation and Utilization in the Context of
local and global change (2009-2012)
 ProACC – Climate change impacts on Mekong river delta
 ACCION – Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts on the Nile River Basin (2009 – 2011)
 + PhD projects funded by foreign governments 10
Education in Hydroinformatics

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 Masters Programmes
Hydroinformatics chair group is running

 Specialisation in Hydroinformatics of the Water Science and

Engineering Masters programme at IHE Delft (18 months)
 Joint International Masters Specialisations in
Hydroinformatics (IMHI) (18.5 months), in collaboration
with:
 Hohai University (China) (2005 – 2017)
 Escuela Colombiana De Ingenieria (Colombia) (2018–)
 Masters programme on Flood Risk Management (24
months), with Technical University of Dresden (Germany),
Technical University of Catalonia (UPC, BarcelonaTech)
(Spain), and University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
 + multiple short courses
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 Hydroinformatics programme at IHE
Fundamentals, hydraulic, hydrologic and environmental processes
Data systems, remote sensing, GIS, cloud computing, software engineering
• ArcGIS • Matlab • Java
• QGIS Tools • Python • JavaScript, PHP

Physically-based • SOBEK • MIKE 11

simulation modelling
• RIBASIM
• Delft 3D
• HEC-HMS
• HEC-RAS
with applications to:
• SWAT • MIKE 21 - flood risk management
and tools • EPANET • MIKE SHE
• MOUSE • MODFLOW
- urban water systems
Artificial intelligence • SWMM • WEAP - river basin management
and data-driven • WEKA - coastal systems
modelling
• NeuralMachine - groundwater
• Python SciKit-Learn
- environmental systems
Systems analysis, • Python, MATLAB toolboxes
• LINGO
control, optimization, • GLOBE

decision support • mDSS4

Integration of technologies, elective advanced topics, transferrable skills

MSc research phase

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Block 1. Fundamentals

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 Block 2. Modelling, artificial intelligence,
optimization, decision support systems. Fieldwork.

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Block 3. Widening scope. Groupwork.
MSc research phase and thesis writing.

6 months

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 Subjects

 Module 1. Introduction to Water for Development

 Module 2a. Introduction to Water Science and Engineering
 Review of Mathematics
 Review of Statistics and Frequency Analysis
 The Earth System (geology, geomorphology, Anthropocene)
 Referencing Guidelines, Literature Research & Plagiarism
Awareness
 Fieldtrip - One day excursion to Deltaworks

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 Subjects

 Module 2b. Hydrology and Hydraulics

 Free-Surface Hydrodynamics
 Introduction to Free Surface Hydrodynamics
 1-D Channel Flow and Equations
 Uniform and Non-uniform Flow Computations
 2-D and 3-D Shallow Water Equations
 Hydraulics Laboratory (a visit to TU Delft)
 Engineering Hydrology
 Engineering Hydrology Workshop
 Geographical Information Systems
and Remote Sensing

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 Subjects

 Module 3. Information Technology and Software

Engineering
 Software Engineering in Python
 Information and communication technology
 Introduction to database systems

 Module 4. Modelling Theory and Computational Hydraulics

 Equations of water flows
 Modelling theory and uncertainty
 Numerical methods I

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 Subjects

 Module 5. Modelling and Information Systems

 Numerical methods II
 Advanced GIS, exercises using QGIS and ArcGIS
 River modelling, exercises using Mike 11 and SOBEK
 Modelling systems development, exercises in Python

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 Subjects

 Module 6. Artificial Intelligence and Operational Water

Management
 Introduction to optimisation, exersise
 Operational water management, exercises
 Introduction to data assimilation
 Computational intelligence and data-driven modelling,
exercises in building artificial neural network models

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 Subjects

 Module 7. River Basin Modelling

 Catchment modelling, exercise with NAM
 Groundwater modelling, exercise with MODFLOW, MIKE-SHE
 River basin management, exercise with RIBASIM
 Module 8a. River Flood Analysis and Modelling
 Climate change and its impact on hydrology
(common with module 8b)
 Introduction to 1D2D, 2D modelling
 River flood analysis, exercises with HEC-HMC
 River flood modelling, exercises with HEC-HMC, HEC-RAS
 River morphology modelling
 Uncertainty in Flood Modelling
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 Subjects

 Module 8b. Urban Flood Management and

Disaster Risk Mitigation
 Climate change and its impact on hydrology
 Ethics of risk
 Introduction to 1D2D, 2D modelling
 Managing urban flood disasters
 Structural and Non-structural Urban Flood Management
Measures
 Urban Flood Modelling and Evaluation of Flood Risks,
exercise with MIKE-URBAN, MIKE-21

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 Subjects

 Module 9. Fieldtrip and Fieldwork

 Two week study tour in Florida, USA

 Module 10. Flood Risk Management

 Introduction to flood risk management
 1D-2D modelling, exercise with SOBEK-RURAL, HEC-RAS
 Dutch experiences in FRM
 Fieldtrip
 Flood forecasting
 Flood risk analysis and case studies
 Flood risk mapping, exercises using HEC-RAS, ArcGIS

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 Subjects

 Module 11. Hydroinformatics for Decision Support

 Decision support systems, exercises with mDSS4
 Software technologies for integration, exercises
 Systems analysis in water resources, exercises

 Module 12. Summer courses - Advanced Hydroinformatics

 Introduction to Scripting Languages
 Statistics and time series analysis
 Calibration of a physically-based hydrological model
 Optimised operation of WDS
 Artificial Intelligence for hydrological modelling

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 Subjects

 Module 13. Groupwork

 Module 14. Thesis Research Proposal Development
 Selection of research topic
 Proposal drafting
 Proposal presentation

 Module 15. Research phase, leading to a thesis

(6.5 months)
 Carried out at IHE Delft, at a consutancy, or at a
technological institute (Deltares, DHI, HR Wallingford, etc.)
 Typically the study is connected to a real-life project
 In 20% of cases results in a publication
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 Titles of some MSc theses

 Application of artificial intelligence techniques to flood forecasting in the upper reach of

the Huai river, China
 Genetic algorithms in optimal management of storage areas for flood risk reduction using
detailed spatial data: case study in Huai River, China
 Decision Support System for The European River Flood Occurrence and Total Risk
Assessment System
 Optimal Reservoir Control, Dong Nai River Basin, Vietnam
 Flood Inundation Mapping Using Global Datasets: Wangchu Basin, Bhutan
 Modelling of water quality in Taihu Lake, China
 Uncertainty in modelling of water distribution networks for demand management and
leakage control
 Web-based Decision Support System using WEAP Water Allocation Model for Coello Basin,
Colombia
 E-Aid: Smartphone and Web Applications for Community-Based Disaster Management in
Accra, Ghana
 Bridging the Gap between Communities and Responding Institutions During Flood Events
 Application of global datasets and data assimilation to a distributed hydrological model in
the Canadian Sub-Arctic

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 Value of MSc research projects

 Applying knowledge, and mastering the use of technologies and tools

 Work on a real-life project
 Developing project management and writing skills
 Communication with experts in various countries
 Gaining real research experience
 Gaining work experience, when doing research
at consulting companies,
water management departments,
or technological institutions (Deltares, DHI, etc.)
Fieldtrip to Florida (of Hydroinformatics specialization)
With visits and fieldwork: South Florida Water Management District,
US Geological Survey, Atlantic University, Everglades National Park,
Green Cay Wetlands, etc…. and some free time in weekends…

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Hydroinformatics participants from China,
2005-2019
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Hydroinformatics Chair group: staff

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 Hydroinformatics PhD Fellows

Graduate of
Wuhan University

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 Hydroinformatics: conclusion

 Hydroinformatics follows a holistic approach - concentrate

on the whole cycle:
observation (data), modelling and forecasting, artificial
intelligence, optimization, decision support, impact
analysis
 Hydroinformatics integrates data, models and people
 Training professionals in hydroinformatics tools is the key
for smart water management

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 What is unique about the
Hydroinformatics programme at IHE Delft
 Combination of fundamentals, advanced IT-based
technologies, models and artificial intelligence, with
practical applications: this combination is unique
 Serious MSc research, applications to real practical
projects, often leading to publications
 Unique international atmosphere of IHE Delft
 exposure to Dutch expertise in water
 Hydroinformatics graduates are in great demand,
find good jobs; one third of them continue with PhD

What Hydroinformatics alumni say...

this course has opened
the new horizons in my professional life
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 Want a Master degree
with excellent job opportunities ?
– welcome to IHE Delft

www.un-ihe.org/hydroinformatics

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