Developing new solutions for water, critical infrastructure and communication –
and bringing them into practice

How much water is available today, how is the situation changing and where do risks arise? We combine local water-level and gauge data with precipitation, evaporation, catchments, runoff paths, satellite observation and historical data.

This creates new foundations for low-water management, irrigation decisions, retention basins, groundwater recharge and the long-term assessment of regional water availability. The focus is not only on individual measuring points but on the interplay within the catchment – from inflow through storage and use to evaporation and discharge.

Typical results

• Water balance model
• Analysis of data and monitoring gaps
• Low-water indicators
• Scenarios
• Forecasting approaches
• Regional water situational picture

Warning and information systems have to work precisely when the power supply, mobile networks or individual measuring points fail. We design energy-self-sufficient and redundant sensor and communication networks for retention basins, water bodies, bridges, critical points, transport routes, energy and utility installations as well as municipal infrastructure.

In a vendor-neutral way, we combine new and existing sensors with suitable communication paths – for example mesh networks, LoRaWAN, mobile networks, microwave links and satellite-based transmission. Resilience Hubs can pool local data, pre-process it and keep it available even during a disruption. Where it makes sense, the infrastructure is used not only for flood events but at the same time for low water, water balance, situational pictures and the regular operation of water bodies and facilities.

Typical results

• Risk and failure analysis
• Network and communication architecture
• Site planning
• Redundancy concept
• Alerting logic
• Pilot network
• Scaling plan

Critical infrastructure requires robust data, clear situational pictures and communication paths that continue to work during outages, overload or natural events. We support operators, municipalities, public authorities and utilities in developing resilient monitoring, communication and decision-making structures.

The focus is on capturing critical conditions, assessing dependencies and failure risks, and planning redundant power, data and communication paths. To this end, local sensor networks, edge processing, Resilience Hubs, emergency power concepts, mesh communication, LoRaWAN, mobile networks, microwave links and satellite communication can be combined. Existing control, operating and information systems are integrated wherever possible and complemented by independent situational-picture and warning functions.

We look not only at individual facilities but also at cross-sector dependencies – for example between water, energy, transport, telecommunications, public administration and civil protection. The result is solutions that work efficiently in normal operation and remain capable of acting in a crisis or disruption.

Typical results

• Criticality and dependency analysis
• Protection and resilience concept
• Communication and emergency architecture
• Failure and restart planning
• Situational picture
• Alerting and escalation logic
• Operation and exercise concept

The value of data arises from connecting it. We bring measurement data together with publicly available and specialist data sources – including state portals and the monitoring networks of the German federal states, LAWA, WasserBLIcK/Wasser-DE, BfG, DWD, EFAS, Copernicus, SWOT, EnMAP, HydroATLAS and HydroSHEDS.

In addition, we integrate operational, facility, energy, transport, weather and communication data where this is required for the situational picture, risk analysis or decision support.

Building on this, we develop data pipelines, maps, time series, automated analyses and decision-oriented applications. Existing specialist and control systems are not replaced but complemented by expert interpretation, spatial context, resilience assessment and a measures perspective. Depending on the task, e.Live, e.Data, e.Maps or e.Wai are used as modules.

Typical results

• Data source and interface concept
• Data consolidation
• Automated reports
• Water-body and infrastructure explorer
• Situational picture
• Analysis models
• Decision support

Measures at water bodies and infrastructure must not only be implemented but also assessed in a traceable way for their impact. We develop baselines, monitoring designs and analyses for renaturation, floodplain development, aeration and oxygen management, nutrient reduction, macrophyte management and further measures to stabilise water bodies.

We likewise assess measures to increase the resilience of critical infrastructure, improve communication paths, reduce failure risks and secure operation in crisis situations.

In doing so, we consider ecological, hydrological, technical and – where relevant – climate-related impacts together. This covers the requirements of the Water Framework Directive as well as new approaches to greenhouse gas monitoring, MRV, risk and resilience indicators. This makes visible what a measure changes, how durable its impact is and where adjustments should be made.

Typical results

• Initial state and baseline
• Impact model
• Monitoring plan
• Before-and-after comparison
• Cost-benefit assessment
• WFD-related assessment
• Climate, resilience and MRV concept

Where no finished product exists for a task yet, we develop a suitable solution together. We translate technical and operational needs into system requirements, examine technical options, build partner structures and test new approaches under real conditions.

This may be an energy-self-sufficient monitoring network, a new type of water-level or warning system, a resilient communication solution, an independent situational picture for critical infrastructure, the combination of satellite and on-site data, an active water-body measure or a new digital analysis service. The starting point is always the specific challenge – not a predefined product.

Typical results

• Target vision
• Feasibility study
• System design
• Requirements list
• Prototype
• Field trial
• Implementation and financing roadmap