New Collaboration Agreement signed for digitalisation in the water sector
Date
Sep 19 2024
Reading time
2minutes
In recent months, eighteen leading organisations from the water sector including MARIN 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.
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.
Join the wave of innovation DigiShape not only invites professionals from the water sector to contribute but also welcomes experts from other fields, such as data science and artificial intelligence. Anyone who wants to play a role in the future of our coasts, rivers, and seas is welcome to participate. Want to know more? Contact programme manager Chris Karman or get in touch with one of the eighteen partners.