Water, it's often been said, will be the "oil of the XXI century". Croatia is lucky to be rich in water - measured by renewable water resources, our country ranks first among the members of the European Union and ranks 30th in the world. Norway is the only European country richer in water resources.
There is no life without water. Natural bodies of water, however, especially rivers, can also be dangerous. Floods are becoming more frequent over the years, and the climate crisis we are witnessing will make this danger even greater in the future.
It is therefore extremely important to manage water resources and flows well. Construction and maintenance projects of water structures, such as embankments, require large investments and long periods of time for implementation. Therefore, it was very important for our client, Croatian water (Hrvatske vode), to build a digital solution that will enable the monitoring of numerous parameters related to such projects and the preparation of complex reports. The digital system we initially created many years ago is still being continuously upgraded and modified.
Besides professionals who carefully monitor it for official reasons, in normal times the water level is also important for many fishermen in order to know when it is the right time to go pursue their favorite passtime and perhaps bring some fish home for a delicious dinner. However, when the water level rises to a degree that there is a danger of flooding, timely and accurate information about the water level becomes important to a large number of citizens. The digital system and mobile application that we developed for the user enables everyone, both professionals and citizens, to see the water level at all measuring points in real time.
For most citizens, the water level is just a "number". However, in order for that number (that is, the data) to be accurate, it is necessary to install a whole series of complex measuring devices on the watercourses, and to connect them to the central data collection system. Managing these devices was the task of another digital solution we built for Croatian water.
Today, all these solutions are combined into a single "WIS" - Water Information System, whose most important purpose is to support the agency in protecting citizens and society from flood related damage.
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