- One
integrated Decision Support System combining multiple tools
- High-precision flood modelling
Spatial resolution of up to 0.5 × 0.5 m for high-precision flood modelling
- 2021-2025
Implementation timeline
Solutions
Through the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change project ‘Impetus’, a Decision Support System has been developed to improve flood risk management by combining several advanced technological tools into a single, integrated platform.
- Hydrodynamic software models: At its core, the system uses hydrodynamic models based on Rana Water Intelligence software. These models provide accurate modelling of flood propagation under various climate conditions while simulating how water moves through landscapes under different rainfall and climate scenarios, including extreme events. They can capture flood propagation with very high spatial resolution (up to 0.5 × 0.5 metres), allowing detailed analysis of how water spreads across urban and rural areas and impacts critical infrastructure.
- 3D digital twin environment: The model outputs are embedded in a 3D digital twin of the physical environment, built from real world geographic, hydrological and infrastructural data. This enables users to visualise flooding scenarios dynamically in three dimensions, improving the spatial understanding of risk. Decision-makers can explore different layers, such as terrain, buildings, drainage systems and water flows, and test how the system behaves under varying climate conditions.
- Gamification: To make the system more accessible and intuitive, gamification features have been introduced. These allow users to interact with scenarios in a more engaging way, helping translate complex hydrological data into clear, visual and actionable insights. This supports dialogue between technical experts, planners and local authorities, and helps assess the potential effectiveness of adaptation measures before they are implemented in the real world.
Co-benefits
Economic
The economic value of the Decision Support System lies in its ability to reduce long-term flood damage while optimising adaptation investments. By providing high resolution, scenario-based flood risk assessments, the system helps authorities and decision makers prioritise cost-effective interventions before disasters occur. This proactive approach significantly reduces post-flood recovery and reconstruction costs, while improving the efficiency of public spending on climate resilience.
Social
The decision support system strengthens social resilience by translating complex flood risk data into accessible and actionable insights for communities. Through interactive 3D visualisations and gamified scenarios, it makes abstract climate risks more tangible, helping residents and stakeholders better understand local vulnerabilities and the effectiveness of proposed adaptation measures. This transparency builds trust in decision-making processes and encourages community engagement in flood preparedness. The system also helps bridge the gap between experts and non-experts, supporting more inclusive dialogue and a shared understanding of risk.
Environmental
The Decision Support System in the Netherlands supports environmental sustainability by enabling data-driven and ecologically sensitive flood management. By improving the understanding of flood dynamics, it helps optimise interventions, including nature-based solutions that enhance water retention, reduce erosion and strengthen ecosystem resilience. It also improves the forecasting of flood impacts, enabling more proactive and preventive decision-making. This allows authorities to anticipate environmental consequences earlier and implement protective measures in advance, reducing ecological damage and supporting more sustainable water management outcomes.
Replicability
How technological tools enable better flood-risk planning and understanding from Western Netherlands to beyond.
Best suited for
The Decision Support System is best suited for low-lying coastal, delta and riverine regions exposed to significant flood risks driven by sea level rise, extreme rainfall, storm surges or river overflow. It is particularly relevant in territories where uncertainty about future climate impacts makes long-term spatial and infrastructure planning more complex, and where improved anticipation of flood dynamics is needed to support proactive adaptation strategies.
Stakeholders' role
This approach relies on a multidisciplinary model. Technology developers and data experts design and maintain the system, while government agencies provide policy direction, funding and use it for planning and decision-making. Water authorities contribute hydrological expertise, and local communities act as end users, ensuring relevance and usability. Research institutions support validation and continuous improvement.
Built-in scalable tools
The system is highly scalable thanks to its open-source foundation and use of interoperable geospatial standards (Open Geospatial Consortium). This allows regions to adapt the tool and integrate local data without rebuilding it from scratch.
Its user-friendly design and strong visualisation tools also reduce technical barriers, enabling non-expert users to engage with complex flood scenarios and supporting easier replication across regions.
Funding pathways
The Impetus project was funded under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, demonstrating how EU-level support can enable the development of advanced digital tools for climate risk management. This type of funding also supports experimentation, cross-border knowledge sharing and the scaling up of innovative solutions, making replication in other regions more feasible through future EU programmes, national co-financing or blended funding approaches.
