The Riverlab

The RiverLab is an existing platform that aims at connecting river researchers and practitioners in the Netherlands and abroad. By connecting river researchers, one aims at creating a community and facilitating the use of open software and sharing river schematizations. The development of the platform is commissioned by RWS and currently managed by Deltares. The RiverLab is based on the motto: Dare-to-share. Together we can enhance our knowledge and experience and via the RiverLab we can build on previous work instead of reinventing the wheel. It also makes it easier to combine knowledge of different fields and so come to new insights and ideas.

The platform helps PhD and MSc students to use the morphological model and solve bugs. Knowledge days are organized together with the NCR to share the applicability of morphological models.

If you have any questions about the application of morphological models, if you get stuck or if you have suggestions to improve the platform and make it more attractive to students, go to the Riverlab site.

Later, the potential users will be contacted to organize a first session. The main objective of this session will be to understand the user’s needs. The outcome will be a summary of the meeting with the user’s wishes and a plan to satisfy their needs. It is foreseen that one of the needs of users is to obtain help when using Delft3D FM. The idea of the RiverLab is that the community provides this help. Nevertheless, at least at the start, it is the responsibility of Deltares (function of the schakelaar) that the members find their answers replied.Apart from specific questions, it is foreseen that users may be interested in general knowledge on river modelling. For this reason, sessions will be organized that reinforce the community sense and are a platform for experts to present specific topics or cases…

Flooding along the Nieuwe Maas (Picture by Tineke Dijkstra )

Activities

The tasks we foresee for the ‘schakelaar’ are the organization of meetings with supervisors and students and, in general, keeping the community alive. This last task involves, amongst others, that questions should be swiftly answered.

Expanding the community
- Poster presentation at NCR-days
- 2 community sessions (e.g. ‘Bring-Your-Own-Model’)
- Visit the potential users at Universities and Engineering companies.
Keeping the platform up to date
- (Help) adding models
- Participate in the forum
- Improve the platform based on the feedback from the users
Give support in research
- help in modelling
- solving bugs