Stichting Flood Control—IT Reference Architecture

This flood control organization integrates complex sensor networks, as well as its training and response solutions, to provide a single integrated architecture that provides critical information across systems, when and where it’s needed

Published on 08-Aug-2011

Validated on 12 Mar 2013

Customer:
Stichting Flood Control 2015

Industry:
Government

Deployment country:
Netherlands

Solution:
Business Continuity, Business Integration, Business Process Management (BPM), Smarter Planet

Smarter Planet:
Smarter Government

IBM Business Partner:
Deltares

Overview

Stichting Flood Control 2015 is a foundation of knowledge institutes and private organizations supported by the Dutch government. The mission of this five-year, €22 million program is to find new, innovative solutions so that a substantial improvement in operational flood protection worldwide can be reached.

Business need:
More than half of The Netherlands is threatened by flooding from sea or rivers. The Dutch government, through the Stichting Flood Control organization, is responsible for providing safety against flooding, and for finding new cost-effective means to mitigate the threat of flooding. Instead of creating its flood control network of levee monitoring sensors, decision-support systems and training systems in an ad hoc, piecemeal way, Stichting wanted to ensure that its IT solutions were clearly linked to, and directly supported, its business goals (e.g. reduce flood risk, increase efficiency).

Solution:
Stichting’s IT Reference Architecture connects the systems that collect the sensor data from various sources to the analytics and decision-making systems, like the Deltares-FEWS (Flooding Early Warning System), and asset management systems. The architecture provides a blueprint for connecting all systems and information together, enabling a transparent exchange of information among systems that was not previously possible. Improved information sharing across systems leads to new and better insights, for example, real-time Smart Levee management for flood prevention.

Benefits:
· Enables better planning and more cost-efficient operation by the flood management organizations · Focuses on information stewardship and information exchange, critical for effective crisis management · Provides a better return on existing investment, and reduced risk for future investment by reducing complexity in the IT infrastructure

Case Study

Stichting Flood Control 2015 is a foundation of knowledge institutes and private organizations supported by the Dutch government. The mission of this five-year, €22 million program is to find new, innovative solutions so that a substantial improvement in operational flood protection worldwide can be reached.

The Opportunity
More than half of The Netherlands is threatened by flooding from sea
or rivers. The Dutch government, through the Stichting Flood Control organization, is responsible for providing safety against flooding, and for finding new cost-effective means to mitigate the threat of flooding. Instead of creating its flood control network of levee monitoring sensors, decision-support systems and training systems in an ad hoc, piecemeal way, Stichting wanted to ensure that its IT solutions (e.g. asset management, crisis management, forecasting systems) were clearly linked to, and directly supported, its business goals (e.g. reduce flood risk, increase efficiency).

What Makes It Smarter
For this flood management organization, having the right information available at the right time for decision making can make all the difference between near-disaster and calamity. Stichting’s IT Reference Architecture connects the systems that collect the sensor data from various sources to the analytics and decision-making systems, like the Deltares-FEWS (Flooding Early Warning System), and asset management systems. The architecture provides a blueprint for connecting all systems and information together, enabling a transparent exchange of information among systems that was not previously possible. Improved information sharing across systems leads to new and better insights, for example, real-time Smart Levee management for flood prevention, and the use of Serious Gaming to enable more effective training.

Real Business Results
· Enables better planning and more cost-efficient operation by the flood management organizations
· Focuses on information stewardship and information exchange, critical for effective crisis management
· Provides a better return on existing investment, and reduced risk for future investment by reducing complexity in the IT infrastructure

For more information
Please contact your IBM sales representative or IBM Business Partner. Visit us at: ibm.com/government
To learn more about Stichting Flood Control—IT Reference Architecture visit: www.floodcontrol2015.com

Products and services used

IBM products and services that were used in this case study.

Software:
WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, WebSphere Integration Developer

Service:
GBS Strategy and Change: Technology Strategy

Legal Information

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2011 IBM Corporation 1 New Orchard Road Armonk, NY 10504 U.S.A. Produced in the United States July 2011 All Rights Reserved IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, Global Business Services and WebSphere are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at “Copyright and trademark information” at ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml Other company, product or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. The information contained in this documentation is provided for informational purposes only. While efforts were made to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this documentation, it is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In addition, this information is based on IBM’s current product plans and strategy, which are subject to change by IBM without notice. IBM shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or otherwise related to, this documentation or any other documentation. Nothing contained in this documentation is intended to, nor shall have the effect of, creating any warranties or representations from IBM (or its suppliers or licensors), or altering the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement governing the use of IBM software.