How can we use new digital techniques and develop tools to get an accurate and area-wide picture of the river depth and the bottom of the bed? This question is central to the use case River Depth.
The depth of rivers is a living phenomenon. Due to the shape of the river, the sedimentation and erosion of sediment, the discharge and flow and the soil composition, the river bed shows dynamic behaviour on different time scales. In addition, the soil is subsiding a few centimetres per year in large parts of the Rhine branches because the river system is not in balance. To keep the river at sufficient depth for shipping, among other things, the bottom of rivers is regularly dredged and monitored in the waterway. It is also important to have an accurate picture of the river depth and the bottom position from other taskings in the river area, such as excavation pits, shallows and river dunes.
Better area-wide picture over time
The monitoring of the river depth is mainly done by Rijkswaterstaat and the dredgers, who sail up and down under the ship with a multibeam sensor to scan the river bed. In the use case River Depth, we investigate whether we can improve the monitoring of the river depth and make it more efficient by using new digital techniques and/or combining them with each other. We also want to see if there is new relevant data, such as Covadem and satellite data, that we can connect to what is already available. In this way, we expect to arrive at a better detailed picture of the river bed and to be able to follow it better over time.
With a better interpretation of the water depth and river bed location, we gain a better understanding of the migration behaviour of river dunes, the formation of erosion pits and interaction with works of art, among other things. We can also improve our numerical models.
Appeal to the community
We are looking for:
- new data sources and technologies that can provide insight into river depth;
- parties that have an interest in a better and more efficient insight into river depth and the soil;
- parties that may work outside the regular river management and want to contribute with data science and other digital techniques;
- out-of-the-box thinkers who help innovate.
Are you interested or have ideas? Please contact Johan Boon.
