Flood defence decision-making is to be helped across Europe by the development of a new computer game at Abertay University.
Town and city planners and infrastructure managers will be able to work through different options for managing a flood, from avoiding building damage to minimising the impact of pollution.
WaterTown will present planners and environmental managers with virtual scenarios based on real water management problems in Scotland, England, the Netherlands and Norway. It is scheduled for launch later this year.
By presenting technical information gained at Abertay University from the study of sustainable water management, those responsible for Europe’s flood defences can quickly compare the impact of different decisions.
Neil Berwick, WaterTown project leader and a research officer at Abertay University, said, “Managing water in our towns and cities is extremely complex.
“Many, many different decisions together help determine how we manage surface water within the urban environment and the impact these decisions have on flood risk, water quality and public acceptance.
“Bringing all this data together in a very visual, interactive way helps everyone understand much more about the impact of their decisions, and it allows us to easily communicate how very challenging situations can be best handled.”
WaterTown is being developed as part of the European Union’s Skills Integration and New Technologies (SKINT) project, which brings together experts to improve sustainable urban land and water management across the EU.
The WaterTown project is based in the urban water technology centre at Abertay University.