IBM to collaborate with city of Rotterdam for smart water and energy management

23 June 2009

The Dutch city of Rotterdam has announced a collaboration with IBM on the design and testing of a monitoring and forecasting system for smarter water and energy management.

With this collaboration with IBM, Rotterdam aims to manage infrastructure and operations related to the effects of climate change in a dynamic, complex natural water system. The Smart Delta system’s information portal will enable officials and professionals to more quickly and effectively respond to concerns such as flood and drought threats, safety or accessibility issues, and changes in water conditions that could harm fish and other aquatic life, according to a statement.

‘We are committed to reducing carbon dioxide by 50 percent and reaching a climate adaptive situation while also strengthening our region’s economic condition by 2025,’ said Paula Verhoeven, Rotterdam Climate Office Director. ‘To reach these goals, we have defined a holistic approach to climate change and water management, considering economic and spatial planning factors in the decision-making process. This collaboration is important to help Rotterdam evolve to a Smart Delta City.’

As part of the collaboration, IBM intends to explore additional areas such as the management of carbon in logistics processes, the company said.

Together with leading figures from academia, industry and government, IBM has engaged over the past two years in projects worldwide to identify current and future impact on operations from changing water availability, accessibility, quality and quantities. In February 2008, IBM opened the Global Center of Excellence for Water Management in the Netherlands.

‘Governments and companies that don’t understand how climate changes will impact their operations will increasingly find themselves at a disadvantage,’ said Sharon Nunes, Vice president, Big Green Innovations, IBM. ‘Over the next few years, the business impact of either too-much or too-little water will be devastating in many parts of the world. The Smart Delta City initiative addresses the need to start thinking and acting in new ways to make our systems more efficient, productive and responsive.’

Copyright © 2009 NewNet

Tags: smart grid, water

This story was published on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm and is filed under Europe, energy efficiency, policy, water. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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