Hydroinformatics and Socio-Technical Innovation
The Hydroinformatics and Socio-Technical Innovation department focuses on catalysing change in society, technology and policy, and enhancing the use of enabling information and communication technologies (ICT), advanced data analytics and modelling, artificial intelligence towards sustainability and resilience.
Aims and ambitions
The department aims to catalyse change toward more sustainable and disaster-resilient societies, technologies and policies. To do so, it fosters multi-stakeholder participatory design of social innovations and the use of hydroinformatics and information and ICT for data, information and knowledge co-creation. In addition, it supports data analytics, modelling, decision-making and evidence-based implementation.
The department strives to further develop hydroinformatics by using ICT and artificial intelligence systems, data acquisition, advanced modelling, systems analysis, robust optimization, and multi-stakeholder decision support. With these efforts, it assists smart water and environmental management in uncertain conditions characterized by global change. Such smart management is particularly important for disaster and climate resilience as well as sustainability and other highly relevant social issues.
In the department, we also aim to unleash the transformative potential of citizen science and social innovation with the help of co-design, novel forms of participation, enabling technologies and impact-focused approaches and incubation. With these approaches and actions, we stimulate sustainable development in different geographic, socio-economic, political and natural resource settings.
Research themes
The department addresses two interlinked themes: Hydroinformatics and Knowledge & Innovation Dynamics.
Hydroinformatics
Hydroinformatics concerns the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and modelling, and their application for resolving water-related problems in civil engineering, and information systems for integrated water management.
Hydroinformatics tools and methods can be applied, for example, in:
- Flood and drought simulation, forecasting, early warning, and risk management
- Real-time control and anticipatory water management
- Reservoir operation and optimization
- Urban water systems operation and management
- Water resources planning and management for groundwater and surface water
- Water quality modelling and management
- Integrated river basin management
- Water information systems design, implementation and management (from digital information to internet networking)
Knowledge & Innovation dynamics
Research on knowledge and innovation dynamics aims to understand and shape their role in transformative change processes across all areas of water management and governance (water resources management, water services as well as flood and drought risk management).
Our research contributes to a deeper analysis and understanding of the objectives, purposes, processes and instruments of innovative, problem-driven forms of knowledge generation and application, as well as innovation processes. Through such work, particularly in the area of digital innovations, we support the water sector as it addresses complex societal needs.
People in this department
Guy Alaerts
Visiting guest
Leonardo Alfonso Segura
Associate Professor of Hydroinformatics
Schalk Jan van Andel
Associate Professor of Hydroinformatics
Claudia Bertini
Lecturer/Researcher in Hydroinformatics
Biswa Bhattacharya
Head of the HISTI Department
Cristiane Fragata dos Santos
PhD Candidate
Angelo Imperiale
Researcher
Andreja Jonoski
Associate Professor of Hydroinformatics
Claire Michailovsky
Senior Lecturer in Remote Sensing for Water Management
Ioana Popescu
Professor of Hydroinformatics
Celia Ramos Sánchez
PhD Candidate
Lieneke Rog
Secretary of Department