Deltares, KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat receive funding for innovative modelling laboratory
Expert(s) |
Hanneke van der Klis
|
Ruben Dahm
Deltares, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) and Rijkswaterstaat have jointly announced that their proposal for the intelligent Modelling Lab for Weather, Climate and Water (iML-WKW) has been approved as part of the Facilities for Applied Research (FTO) scheme.
With an investment of € 14.5 million, the three organisations will, over the course of four years, build an open, future-resilient digital facility that will establish an enduring leading position for the Netherlands in digital weather, climate and water technology. The project will start on 1 December 2025 and continue through to late 2029.
What is involved?
The organisations will be building a digital facility to allow for the development of a new generation of simulation models for applications in meteorology, water management and climate adaptation. Simulation models are digital computing models that help to better understand and predict natural phenomena such as rainfall and the effects on water levels. These models are indispensable to provide warnings in good time about storms, possible floods or problems with excessive water, water shortages or pollution. The models will also be used to understand how the Netherlands can best adapt to climate change.
How will it work?
The new facility will be a testing and development environment to exploit new computing technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), quantum algorithms and graphic processors for reliable models in weather, climate and water research: with standardised procedures, reproducible results, scalable computing power and efficient testing methods. This will allow for the acceleration and refinement of current physics-based models, which have been proving their worth for many years. New AI models represent a powerful addition to the existing model portfolio of Deltares, KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat.
Weather, water and climate models are crucial to the work of Rijkswaterstaat. They help us protect the Netherlands from flooding, ensure sufficient fresh water supplies and regulate smooth and safe shipping traffic. It's good to see that with the creation of this lab, we will be developing new architectures and working methods to enable even better and more reliable models.
Yann Friocourt, functional manager of the Rijkswaterstaat model toolkit
Why are these models important?
The challenges are urgent: climate change, increasing pressure on water systems and the energy transition require faster, more accurate and more easily explainable models. They can be used, for example, to accelerate and improve models to predict freshwater availability and optimise distribution during dry periods. Or for faster and more accurate models for the Water Management Centre of the Netherlands (WMCN) to predict water levels 24/7 for effective water management and shipping traffic control. Emerging digital technologies offer opportunities to improve models and make them more efficient but they require new approaches and digital infrastructures. That is what can be achieved with this investment by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
This funding will allow us to take a giant leap forward in the application of new technology in all those models that are so important in our sectors. Moreover, the iML will make it so much easier for modellers and users, and our worlds of weather and water, to work together. In this way, we are jointly building a new generation of models that will prepare the Netherlands and the world better for tomorrow’s challenges.
Hanneke van der Klis (Strategic advisor Deltares)
Who is involved?
iML-WKW is an alliance between Deltares, KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat, with the involvement of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW). Deltares and KNMI will be building this new facility together. Rijkswaterstaat will contribute concrete cases from water management and climate adaptation in the Netherlands. Deltares will be coordinating the project, and monitoring progress and collaboration between the partners. Private parties, other government authorities and other knowledge institutes will also be actively involved, for example through the DigiShape network. In this way, we are building not only a new digital infrastructure but, at the same time, a widely accessible ecosystem around the iML-WKW.
What are the benefits?
The iML-WKW will make an important contribution to improving flood risk management and climate resilience in the Netherlands. The new generation of models to be developed will provide faster and more reliable warnings for extreme weather and problems with excessive water, and enable more efficient water management during dry periods and when there is salinisation. It will also contribute to strengthening the Dutch knowledge position and the export of digital solutions. In addition, the programme will encourage talent development through close collaboration with universities, and further innovation through intensive collaboration with private parties.
This funding strengthens our collaboration to make and keep the Netherlands safe. We really need the opportunities offered by AI/ML to achieve this. We can seize these opportunities by jointly developing and using infrastructure.
Werenfried Spit, manager of R&D Weather and Climate Models at KNMI
The iML-WKW is linked to existing platforms such as the Anemoi framework of ECMWF and the DigiLab.
The first applications are expected as early as the first year.
