Environmental simulation: software designed to prevent flooding – WiWo Green (blog)

Before floods – such as in April in Saxony – can weather services only lump warn. Where exactly the rain falls and where floods occur, can not be with today’s means of predicting safely determine. There is the simulation software of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the advisory of the company engineers for construction and EDP (GBI) has been commercialized in Herzogenaurach.

The software can predict tsunamis accurate. Even more: In the run-applied, the program can provide concrete tips on how to prevent floods. That would be possible, for example by rainwater retention basins in certain places, or laying a new channel with a larger diameter.

The software works on the spatial data of an area. For its calculations, the program takes into account the topography of the territory studied and its vicinity, ie the distribution of hills and valleys, and the soil conditions. Because of floods, it may be relevant whether the base is sealed, such as in roads, or absorbent, such as forest and field

.

The program also takes into account the capacity of the drainage systems, as well as the river and already implemented preventive measures, such as the system of rainwater retention basins and dams. “We can such simulations for any region to create,” says Reinhard Brodrecht, managing director of the engineering firm GBI. For this purpose, however, the local spatial data and other factors must be known.

In addition, a relatively dense network of weather stations necessary, report the heavy rain without delay. It is supplemented by stations that are equipped with lidar. This is a radar system that documents rains in remote regions.

“It is possible in principle to warn citizens against floods,” says David Bertermann from Geozentrum Nordbayern who has worked on the development of the software. For this, the respective regions to be covered by the simulation software. Then report a weather station heavy rain, the software detects immediately the paths taken by the water, and informed the owners of vulnerable zones. Even threats to individual gardens can be observed in this way.

The program will help not only in case of imminent flooding by rain, but also can significantly earlier used. Before the designation of a new business park in the Upper Palatinate Weiden about examined the GBI, the region with its software, to see if dramatic flooding of the area at risk. In pastures, this was ultimately not the case.