Delta Life 9

21 What are the challenges for the near future? Linking overview maps of water re­ sources, floods and land reclamation to management and forecasting models. Going beyond visualisation to establish connections, produce forecasts, identify developments and, ultimately, support decision-making. Robotics more and more accurate measuring and monitoring Unmanned planes, cars and ships are not new but the autonomous instruments used here are developing dramatically. Take cameras that are hyper-sensitive to light with a resolution of 450 to 950 nanometres. Or electromagnetic sensors for geophysical measurements that make it possible to look below the surface from the air. Install these on drones or unmanned vehicles and you can really make progress on monitoring. By getting people who make measure­ ments and people who make robots to work together, this approach to research is becoming faster and more accurate. How does that help? By combining up-to-date data from the air with data about water levels and discharge, area managers can see, for example, where mowing, pruning or dredging of waterways are necessary. Hyper-sensitive cameras transmit infor­ mation about, for example, the amount of silt in water. By monitoring dikes auto­ matically – electromagnetic sensors look straight through a dike – it becomes possible to work in a muchmore targeted, and therefore economical, way. The environment also benefits: with an automatic survey vessel, users become more agile, independent and less harmful to the environment than with a car, helicopter or a ship. The operator has to stay close to the drone so this approach is less appropriate for inhospitable areas. But there are usually no dikes there. What are the challenges for the near future? Drones that can domore andmaking equipment even smaller. Electromagnetic sensors are still large and heavy, and they can only be used with helicopters. Measurement and monitoring tech­ niques can be automated even further to deliver automatic messages to an area manager's phone without researchers as intermediaries. Converting automated measurement data into solutions visualised with software using a a HoloLens or 3D prints for better decision-making. Practical trials as a basis for amen­ dments to legislation and regulations so that autonomous sailing and flying become possible, because this is still far from being the case everywhere. Blockchain transparent digital accounting The concept of blockchain data is mainly familiar to us in the context of bitcoin speculation. But it is in fact an open and transparent way of recording digital transactions. The information no longer belongs to a single owner and that makes the process independent, open and reliable. Fraud is identified by any inconsistency in the transactions, which breaks the chain. Working with blockchain has been tested by, for example, the Dutch national govern­ ment, the United Nations and banks. Deltares believes the technology can be used in the fields of ​water quality, citizen scienc e and data services. How does that help? The reliable sharing of large amounts of sensitive information about emis­ sions, renewable energy, data services and waste flows. In addition to relia­ bility, another advantage can be that no third-party intervention is required to check every transaction. Challenges for the near future Transactions require extensive calculations and they cost too much energy at present. Whether improve­ ments can be made in this respect is a field that is under investigation at institutions such as the Delft Univer­ sity of Technology. The different approach involved when using block­ chain will not be desirable everywhere and it may require other legislation and regulations. But once blockchain 2.0 is in place, it will also be appropriate for processes that have to be open and transparent, such as knowledge development. More information: annette.zijderveld@deltares.nl