Building the next generation of weather, climate and water models together
The intelligent Modeling Lab for Weather, Climate, and Water (iML-WKW) is a new initiative by Deltares, KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat: a national facility that provides the infrastructure for the development and application of new computational models for weather, climate and water. For the first time in the Netherlands, these three domains are working together structurally on a single platform. The programme is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs through the Applied Research Facilities (FTO) scheme. It officially launched on 1 July 2026 during a gathering at Deltares in Delft.
One platform for the next generation of models
A changing climate and increasing pressure on our living environment require detailed, reliable information to support timely and well-informed decision-making. This calls for the optimal use of data, computing power and new technologies, as well as broad multidisciplinary collaboration. That was also the question with which programme lead Hanneke van der Klis opened the meeting: how can we ensure that we continue to provide this information in the future? "That is exactly what we are building with iML-WKW: a single platform where public and private parties can develop and use models together," said Van der Klis.
Our ambition is clear: by 2030 we want a platform that is continuously evolving and supported by an active community. The platform will be open, robust and future-proof, and will provide transparent quality standards for all sectors working with weather, climate and water models.
Hanneke van der Klis, programme lead iML-WKW
From practice to impact
During a panel discussion, steering committee members from the three organisations illustrated why this collaboration is so important. Werenfried Spit (KNMI) emphasised the new way of working: "Alongside new technology, our way of collaborating is fundamentally different. Having a single joint technical team is already a major step forward." For him, the ultimate goal is better services for society.
Pieter van Ginneken (Rijkswaterstaat) referred to the floods in Limburg five years ago, when crucial information was lacking to decide whether a hospital near the River Meuse should be evacuated. "This programme gives us the opportunity to build the platform that will make this type of information available in the future," he said.
Han van Veldhuizen (Deltares) pointed to the Netherlands’ long and successful tradition in weather, climate and water modelling. "What was missing was a shared platform. iML-WKW fills that gap, helping to ensure that our models remain at the forefront in the years ahead." He also highlighted the connection with DigiLab, the initiative of ten Dutch research institutes, including Deltares and KNMI, aimed at sharing data, models and computing capacity.
Development team started
The iML-WKW technical development team, which will build and eventually manage the platform, is currently exploring an existing AI framework for weather models (ANEMOI) and is actively recruiting new colleagues to support further growth.
With this festive kick-off, the iML-WKW programme has officially started for the three founding organisations. Later this year, the programme will broaden its focus to engage public and private organisations that may benefit from the platform under development. The open innovation platform for the digitalisation of the water sector, DigiShape, will serve as an important starting point for this next phase.
