Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PLOTO (Deployment and Assessment of Predictive modelling, environmentally sustainable and emerging digital technologies and tools for improving the resilience of IWW against Climate change and other extremes)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29
The PLOTO project aims at increasing the resilience of the IWW and the connected hinterland infrastructures, especially under adverse conditions, such as extreme weather, accidents and other kinds of hazards. In doing this, downscaled climate change scenarios will be combined with simulation tools and actual data, to provide operators an integrated tool able to support more effective management of their infrastructures at strategic and operational levels.
The PLOTO project consists in the deployment and assessment of predictive modelling, environmentally sustainable and emerging digital technologies and tools for improving the resilience of IWW against climate change and other extremes. An integrated tool is set up to allow relevant authorities to improve the efficiency of their infrastructures management. This tool is a combination of downscaled climate change scenarios with simulation tools and actual data. Six complementary avenues will be considered to achieve this integrated tool that will support relevant authorities and their operators for more effective management:
1) Measure and use high-resolution modelling data for the determination and assessment of the climatic risk of the selected transport infrastructures and associated expected damages.
2) Use existing data from various sources with new types of sensor-generated data (computer vision) to feed the used simulator.
3) Utilize tailored weather forecasts (combining seamlessly all available data sources) for specific hot spots, providing real-time early warnings with corresponding impact assessment.
4) Develop improved multi-temporal, multi-sensor UAV- and satellite-based observations with robust spectral analysis, computer vision and machine learning-based assessment for diverse transport infrastructures.
5) Design and implement an integrated resilience assessment platform environment as an innovative planning tool that will permit a quantitative resilience assessment through an end-to-end simulation environment, running “what-if” impact/risk/resilience assessment scenarios. The effects of adaptation measures can be investigated by changing the hazard, exposure and vulnerability input parameters.
6) Design and implement a Common Operational Picture (COP), including an enhanced visualization interface and an Incident Management System (IMS).
The PLOTO integrated platform and its tools will be validated in three case studies in Belgium, Romania and Hungary.
The PLOTO project consists in the deployment and assessment of predictive modelling, environmentally sustainable and emerging digital technologies and tools for improving the resilience of IWW against climate change and other extremes. An integrated tool is set up to allow relevant authorities to improve the efficiency of their infrastructures management. This tool is a combination of downscaled climate change scenarios with simulation tools and actual data. Six complementary avenues will be considered to achieve this integrated tool that will support relevant authorities and their operators for more effective management:
1) Measure and use high-resolution modelling data for the determination and assessment of the climatic risk of the selected transport infrastructures and associated expected damages.
2) Use existing data from various sources with new types of sensor-generated data (computer vision) to feed the used simulator.
3) Utilize tailored weather forecasts (combining seamlessly all available data sources) for specific hot spots, providing real-time early warnings with corresponding impact assessment.
4) Develop improved multi-temporal, multi-sensor UAV- and satellite-based observations with robust spectral analysis, computer vision and machine learning-based assessment for diverse transport infrastructures.
5) Design and implement an integrated resilience assessment platform environment as an innovative planning tool that will permit a quantitative resilience assessment through an end-to-end simulation environment, running “what-if” impact/risk/resilience assessment scenarios. The effects of adaptation measures can be investigated by changing the hazard, exposure and vulnerability input parameters.
6) Design and implement a Common Operational Picture (COP), including an enhanced visualization interface and an Incident Management System (IMS).
The PLOTO integrated platform and its tools will be validated in three case studies in Belgium, Romania and Hungary.
The main achievements and results of the PLOTO project during the reporting period (M1-M18) can be summarized as follows:
1) The end users’ requirements for the PLOTO platform have been specified and a series of use cases and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be used to effectively validate the PLOTO platform have been defined. In addition, a high-level architectural specification for the PLOTO integrated system has been developed. Finally, an annotated database of geographic, land use and structural datasets and data sources for the three PLOTO Case Studies, including hydrological atmospheric and meteorological data related to climate change and various geo-hazards, has been compiled.
2) Input data for the dynamical climate and weather simulations has been selected and adapted accordingly. In addition, a methodology for the quantification of average climate and extreme stressors has been set up. Finally, a real-time platform for providing downscaled meteorological information for each Case Study area has been developed.
3) A seismic hazard assessment for the three demonstration cases has been performed and a hydrological model to predict high water discharge rates using machine learning techniques has been developed. Furthermore, a methodology for the vulnerability assessment of assets and definition of data schemas for the vulnerability modules has been developed. Finally, a fluvial dyke breaching model has been developed and validated.
4) A conceptual framework for an efficient and comprehensive transport corridor monitoring system, as well as a transportable Ground Control Station (GCS) that combines multi-satellite receiving capability and drone operation for routine inspection and damage assessment after disasters and accidents, have been developed.
5) The first release of the IWAT environment, along with an initial integration with other PLOTO components has been prepared. In addition, the initial version of the PLOTO middleware and its release for testing have been completed. Finally, an explainable AI framework for flood detection in SAR images, achieving flood segmentation, has been developed and an accurate implementation sizing of the PLOTO COP, considering the common technical basis with the IWAT platform, has been completed.
6) A Continuous Integration/ Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) system has been set up and appropriately configured, to enable the creation of automated build, testing and deployment workflows for the PLOTO components. Moreover, a detailed integration plan has been developed towards the releases of the PLOTO integrated platform.
1) The end users’ requirements for the PLOTO platform have been specified and a series of use cases and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be used to effectively validate the PLOTO platform have been defined. In addition, a high-level architectural specification for the PLOTO integrated system has been developed. Finally, an annotated database of geographic, land use and structural datasets and data sources for the three PLOTO Case Studies, including hydrological atmospheric and meteorological data related to climate change and various geo-hazards, has been compiled.
2) Input data for the dynamical climate and weather simulations has been selected and adapted accordingly. In addition, a methodology for the quantification of average climate and extreme stressors has been set up. Finally, a real-time platform for providing downscaled meteorological information for each Case Study area has been developed.
3) A seismic hazard assessment for the three demonstration cases has been performed and a hydrological model to predict high water discharge rates using machine learning techniques has been developed. Furthermore, a methodology for the vulnerability assessment of assets and definition of data schemas for the vulnerability modules has been developed. Finally, a fluvial dyke breaching model has been developed and validated.
4) A conceptual framework for an efficient and comprehensive transport corridor monitoring system, as well as a transportable Ground Control Station (GCS) that combines multi-satellite receiving capability and drone operation for routine inspection and damage assessment after disasters and accidents, have been developed.
5) The first release of the IWAT environment, along with an initial integration with other PLOTO components has been prepared. In addition, the initial version of the PLOTO middleware and its release for testing have been completed. Finally, an explainable AI framework for flood detection in SAR images, achieving flood segmentation, has been developed and an accurate implementation sizing of the PLOTO COP, considering the common technical basis with the IWAT platform, has been completed.
6) A Continuous Integration/ Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) system has been set up and appropriately configured, to enable the creation of automated build, testing and deployment workflows for the PLOTO components. Moreover, a detailed integration plan has been developed towards the releases of the PLOTO integrated platform.
At present, PLOTO has already delivered initial results beyond the state of the art and is en route to realize them even further. First is the potential for integrating multiple modes of transport within a hub or a network of hubs and considering their ensemble vulnerability, risk, and resilience in an integrated system-level manner. Thus, one can seamlessly track the effect of a disruptive event (e.g. a storm) coming from hundreds of kilometers away as it impacts different part of a continuous transport corridor. Second is the tying in of a regional socioeconomic model with associated local port business impact models, all seamlessly operating to deliver consequence assessment at the two different levels of resolution, i.e. facility- and region-specific. Third is the integration of the aforementioned products with satellite, UAV, and weather forecasting data to (a) provide near-real-time short-term risk assessment, (b) enable customized warnings to IWW operators and nearby communities and engage protective measures earlier rather than later, as well as (c) offer rapid post-event damage assessment, speeding up recovery efforts in a measurable and impactful manner.