THE OGRE RIVER TWIN – A SYSTEM THAT TIMELY SHOWS THE FORECASTED FLOODS

Location: Ogre
Country: Latvia
Contact Information: [email protected]
Website Address: Link

Monitoring and flood risk forecasting throughout Latvia is carried out by the Latvian Environment, Geology, and Meteorology Center, and there are about 80 hydrological observation stations located throughout the country. However, determining the exact time of a flood prediction is not that simple. This is done by observing the situation in the river on-site, conducting ice measurements, and looking at satellite images. Ogre is the first municipality in Latvia where a modern and accurate water level monitoring system has been established, allowing one to follow the situation in the Ogre River.

Thematic Area – Climate Change adaptation
Thematic Sub-category –

  • Behavioural adaptation to extreme weather
  • Smart city solutions and tools

Type of Actor/Agent – Government, Local Council
Typology of Green Urban Site – Watershed
management.

Green City Elements:

  • Water Recovery and Reuse
  • Sustainable Drainage Systems
  • Riverbanks and seashore areas
  • Buildings and Climate Change
  • Flash Flood
  • Smart Economy
  • Smart People
  • Smart Governance
  • Smart Mobility
  • Smart Living
  • Sensorization
  • Artificial Intelligence

Engagement and Consultation:

Target Groups – Citizens
Public Engagement – Was applied, proper public
engagement.
Consultation Tools Used – Presentations, focus
groups, survey or feedback forms at public
meetings.

Resources and Transferability:
Teaching Materials/Resources: Video
Personal Skills Required: Medium
Non-discriminatory Principles: Yes
Transferability Potential: High

Innovation and Impact: Digital map of the Ogre River in 3D format has been developed, obtained by scanning the river and its banks for a length of 20 km. On this map, it is possible to show changes in water levels, which is certainly the most significant achievement of the collaboration from universities and other stakeholders providing the opportunit of creating a river “digital twin”.
Expected ImpactHigh
Level of Scale of Innovation 4

Budget and Analysis: Budget Spent, Source of Money: n/a
Benefits: Flooding & water Quality, More wildlife & better habitats, Improved environmental resilience, Well-being benefits (such as people’s perception of increased biodiversity and improved visual quality of the environment), Social cost savings (such as the impact of reduced air pollution), Creation of green jobs and business opportunities, Improved visual quality of the environment, Providing educational opportunities Challenges: Creating a digital twin for river flooding faces challenges like collecting accurate data, managing the complexity of river systems, requiring significant computational resources, integrating real-time data, adapting to various environments, accounting for climate change impacts, designing user-friendly interfaces, ensuring cybersecurity and privacy, integrating with existing systems, and maintaining and updating the model regularly.