How do you quickly access the right information during a crisis or incident? Safety Region Zeeland and Fieldlab Zuid6 have been running a pilot with Digitwin over the past two years. What has this system brought them? And how do they see its further development in the future?
Zuid6 (the collaborative partnership of the six southern safety regions) was looking for a tool two years ago to gain more insight into the current risks and threats in a specific area. “We conducted a market survey,” says Pepijn de Smet, project leader on behalf of Zuid6. “That led us to the information system Digitwin by Argaleo.”
“The great thing about this system is that we can select an area ourselves,” says Marcel Matthijsse, policy advisor at VRZ and National Coordinator for Water Crisis Preparedness at Safety Regions. “We then immediately see the data for that specific area, such as the number of residents. That alone was a major step forward for us. It makes a significant difference whether you need to evacuate 4,000 or 40,000 people. We can also immediately see the function of buildings in that area, for example how many care facilities are located there and what their daytime occupancy is based on permits. This gives us an instant overview of the affected area.”
“Over the past two years, we have further developed the system together with Argaleo,” says Pieter Jongejan, information specialist at Safety Region Zeeland. “During a fire, for example, we want to know which area falls under the smoke plume. That is why Argaleo created a connection with current weather data. This allows us to see exactly which area the smoke is drifting over. We have also created other connections. One example is the link with the national Joint Emergency Room System (GMS). This way we can see at a glance which reports have been filed in the area and what their status is.”
From left to right: Pepijn de Smet, Pieter Jongejan, Marcel Matthijsse and Michel ten Brummelhuis
Digitwin has gone through quite a development. Can you first take me back to the beginning? What struck you most when you first started working with Digitwin?
Marcel: “That the system has a solid foundation. Buildings on the map are displayed in 3D. That was already a major step forward for us, because it allows us to look around buildings. The fire department often stands in front of a building. They cannot see how far the building extends to the rear. In Digitwin, we can see the shape of the building and how tall it is. That last point is also valuable information. A childcare center in a high-rise is something entirely different from a childcare center on the ground floor.”
We can click on objects and then see all the relevant information available about the building, such as how old the building is, what its designated use is and what the daytime occupancy is based on the permit. Previously, we had to look up all that information separately. Now everything is clearly organized in one system.”
Digitwin can display buildings in 3D. This allows you to see at a glance how tall buildings are and what shape they have
How did Digitwin develop further after that?
Pepijn: “We looked at what information we need during crises and incidents. We added that data to the system. For example, we once had a large outdoor fire. We wanted to know which pipelines ran underground and which hazardous substances flowed through them. It took time to figure that out.
We added the data of all those pipelines to the system. So during the next fire, we can immediately see how the pipelines run, which substances flow through them and who the owner is. This allows us to act more quickly.”
The safety region has added connections to data sets to the system. As a result, Digitwin can now also display where underground pipelines are located
Can you give more examples of valuable data you now extract from the system?
“Real-time data, for example about the relative speed of traffic. These speeds are displayed in the colors green, yellow and red, just as you are used to from Google Maps. We also now have real-time visibility into crowd levels in the area. This data comes from the apps people use on their phones. This way we know how many people are in an area, even when there are no cameras.”
“We are currently further developing this functionality together with TU Delft,” says Michel ten Brummelhuis, project manager at Argaleo. “We are looking into whether we can also display the expected crowd levels in areas, for example a week ahead. That would provide even more actionable insight.”
The relative speed of traffic is displayed in real time
Can you name examples of incidents where Digitwin has already proven its value?
Pieter: “We once dealt with a sand dredger that had sucked up a World War II bomb. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (EOD) then indicated that the area around the bomb had to be evacuated.
We then selected the area on the map in Digitwin. With a single click, we received an Excel file with all the businesses located in that area. The population care department could then call those businesses and ask them to leave the premises. Without Digitwin, they would have had to look up which businesses were established there in the Chamber of Commerce trade register. That would have been much more work.”
Pepijn: “There are many more crises where a digital twin can be a useful tool. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, we could have used it to map infections by neighborhood. That would have allowed us to tailor our approach accordingly.
And at the end of last year, social unrest arose because energy prices were rising rapidly. In Digitwin, we can see exactly which disadvantaged neighborhoods have the most homes with a low energy label. Those are the neighborhoods where you can expect the most unrest. With those kinds of insights, you can be better prepared.”
It is possible to display the energy labels of different homes. This is valuable information when you expect social unrest due to rising energy prices
Where do you stand now? And how will you ensure you benefit even more from the application?
Marcel: “For us, Digitwin has proven its strength. So we are going to implement it in our work processes. We hope that our crisis partners, such as municipalities and other safety regions, will also start using it, because it offers them significant convenience and efficiency.”
Pieter: “In addition, we are going to help Rijkswaterstaat develop an evacuation module in Digitwin. During a major disaster, you want to know in real time how quickly you can get people out of an area. Which roads should you direct them to? And how long will it take before the area is cleared? We now have extensive experience with Digitwin. Furthermore, Zeeland is a unique province where far more people stay on summer days than in winter. We are going to investigate how we can also display those millions of tourists in Digitwin, so that Rijkswaterstaat can include that real-time data in their plans and scenarios.”
Marcel: “Moreover, we see many more opportunities to do even more with the system. How great would it be, for example, to also include the response plans for different buildings in Digitwin? I envision that during an incident you would automatically see the first 10 actions. And we have a lot of shipping with hazardous substances in this area. It would be great if we could use Digitwin to provide insight into where those ships are located.”
You can click on a building. Then you see all the data about that building. The safety region wants to add more information to this overview, such as response plans
At the national level, work is being done on the Coordination Hub for Central Government and Regions (KCR2). To what extent does Digitwin connect to the KCR2 that is currently being built?
Pepijn: “Digitwin can work together with any other system. That is not a problem. It is important, however, that we make agreements at the national level about the datasets we use, because that ensures we are all working from the same picture.”
You just mentioned two crises that we did not see coming in advance, namely the energy crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it realistic to think you can prepare for a crisis whose existence you do not yet know?
Pieter: “Of course we do not know what types of crises we will face in the future. But we can ensure that we bring together as much relevant data as possible in advance. That is why I use Digitwin in the conversations I have with our crisis partners. I show them what we can offer and I ask what relevant data they would like to share with us. In this way, the system is gradually filled with more data that could be relevant for the next crisis.”
Finally, you have built up considerable experience by now. What advice would you give new users?
Pepijn: “Make sure the data at the source is in order. For example, I once wanted to add the underground parking garages in this area to Digitwin. I wanted to create a link with the municipal data. I then noticed that the dataset was incomplete. It is tempting to manually add the missing parking garages. But it is better to have a conversation with the municipalities, and that is what I did. They now understand why it is important for us that they provide the correct data, and they do.”
Marcel: “My advice would be: make sure you learn from the experiences of other users, including those from other domains. Argaleo has more information products, such as the Crowd Safety Manager. This is used by various municipalities and the police to map crowd levels, for example at events. It is instructive to see how they use that product. That way you avoid everyone reinventing the wheel.”
Michel: “Until now, we brought users from different domains into contact with each other informally. Starting this year, we will facilitate that more actively. We are going to organize a meeting twice a year where users from different domains can share experiences with each other. That will make it even easier to learn from one another.”
And what pitfalls would you warn new users about?
Pepijn: “Make sure you do not overcomplicate things. Keep usability in mind. You can make virtually anything visible with Digitwin. But that can also make it cluttered. And during a crisis, people have very little time to make a decision. So limit yourself to the information they need to make good decisions and leave the rest out.”
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