New collaboration agreement for digitalisation in the water sector signed

08/21/2024 - 09:43

In recent months, eighteen leading organisations from the water sector have signed the new collaboration agreement (SOK) of DigiShape. This open innovation platform, established in 2019 by Rijkswaterstaat, Van Oord, and Deltares, has evolved into a powerful network where companies, research institutions, and governments work together to harness the great potential of digitalisation in the water sector.

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Collective commitment for the future

The signing of the new SOK marks an important milestone in the development of DigiShape. What began with three pioneering parties has now grown into a collaboration of eighteen partners: Rijkswaterstaat, Deltares, Van Oord, TU Delft, Boskalis, BZ Ingenieurs & Managers, Periplus, Breda University of Applied Sciences, MARIN, HKV lijn in water, Witteveen+Bos, Informatiehuis Marien, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, MARIS, Port of Rotterdam, Royal HaskoningDHV, SmartPort, and HydroLogic. These organisations have committed themselves for the next four years to promoting innovation and accelerating digitalisation within the water sector.

Focus on thematic areas and practical solutions

Over the next four years, DigiShape will focus on the further development of practical solutions within three domains: Water Management, Water & Logistics, and Spatial Planning of the North Sea. The partners, together with the broader DigiShape community, are working on the development of open, virtual experimentation environments, such as data lakes and model catalogues, with an emphasis on sharing data and models.

A good example of this is the development of a digital twin for the North Sea, where scenarios for the future of the North Sea are explored, taking into account space, safety, and biodiversity. In the area of Water & Logistics, innovative projects are also underway, such as the development of smart and sustainable quay walls and the improvement of nautical safety in and around ports.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing as core values

An important aspect of the collaboration within DigiShape is the sharing of knowledge and data. Partners work together on innovative projects, share models and data, and actively contribute to capacity building within the sector. DigiShape also leads the Water and Climate working group of the Dutch AI coalition.

Additionally, DigiShape continues to strategically expand its network by involving relevant stakeholders and experts, thereby further improving the quality of the solutions.