Delta Life 7

5 More reports on www.deltares.nl HACKATHON ON SEA-LEVEL RISE In November, Deltares organised a hackathon, a sort of creative pressure cooker. Experts from different backgrounds brainstormed about the consequences of accelerated sea-level rise for the Netherlands. The idea was to come up with concrete innovative solutions in a short period of time. The results were presented to the Director of the Delta Commissioner's staff. Deltares has an enormous range of disciplines and knowledge, and we want to make them available more often in the future in this way. In extensive brainstorming sessions with analyses supported by model calculations. This is useful for policymakers and companies who need a fast and thorough analysis of their problems. MEASURING NITRATE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE Test water quality yourself. Deltares developed a smart app that allows every­ one to measure and share nitrate concentrations in surface water. Nitrate concentrations are particularly high in agricultural areas due to the use of manure. But high concentrations are also found in cities. You can't see, smell or taste nitrate. Elevated nitrate concentrations in drinking water are harmful and nitrate in surface water results in algal blooms. The nitrate app makes it possible to analyse surface water and groundwater, to trace nitrate sources and hot spots, and to test the impact of measures. So the app will be particularly welcome for people working professionally with water quality such as farmers, water authorities or water companies. The app scans nitrate strips, displays the result immediately and gives users the option of sharing the outcome. The shared results are displayed immediately in the online Delta Data Viewer, where each user group can put together specific combinations of background maps, monitoring information and area properties. The technology in the app can also be used with other test strips such as those for ammonium, phosphate, sulphate, chloride and pH. The technology and the first results from the field trial were presented at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. MOWING IMPROVES WATER FLOWS Water in ditches, streams and canals must flow freely in order to drain rainwater and take incoming water to the right place. In cooperation with KnowH2O, the South Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, and the Aa en Maas and Rivierenland water authorities, Deltares is helping managers of water courses with more effective and efficient water manage- ment. A full-spectrum camera is mounted on a drone or a boat to make images of water- courses. The images are interpreted automa- tically. The data about the vegetation is used to calculate flow resistance and ecological values. Linking these data to numerical models for incoming and outgoing water makes it possible to map out the waterways in a large area in a relatively short period of time. That information can be used to target mowing activities and intervene in specific locations so that the ecology in the watercourses is better protected and mowing becomes more effective and efficient.