Verona opts for InfoWorks CS to solve city flooding

WALLINGFORD, UK, March 10, 2005 -- Italy's part-privatized multi-utility AGSM Verona (Azienda Generale Servizi Municipalizzati di Verona), which provides electricity, gas, telecoms, public heating and water to the city of Verona and its surrounding areas, has acquired an unlimited node copy of InfoWorks CS after an extensive investigation of alternative software solutions.

InfoWorks was perceived by AGSM as the best software solution because of its ease of use, completeness and flexibility. Water network modeling is still a pioneering activity in Italy; only a few water utilities are fully committed to the practice, but AGSM Verona's staff is being provided with expert consultancy by project manager Alessandro Gallina of Wallingford Software.

InfoWorks CS is the leading software solution that integrates asset and business planning with urban drainage network modeling. It is an integrated solution that provides a powerful management system, a workgroup model management solution and a complete model build and simulation tool. Users are able to undertake network comparisons and apply the differences to any network, as well as consolidating modeling data from various sources in one coherent interface.

The solution contains a number of key model building tools that enable both first-time and expert users to achieve their goals. These include automatic inference of missing model data and assignment of headloss coefficients, as well as engineering validation checks to ensure consistency with expected engineering values.

There is also automatic compensation for 'lost' storage when pruning and merging network data, and the software also has the ability to perform subcatchment area take-off directly from GIS mapping data. Automatic population counts can also be undertaken from address point data stored in a GIS system.

AGSM has loaded all of its drainage data (which was previously stored on its GIS system) into InfoWorks CS and has chosen an area to the north of the Adige river for its initial study. The study aims to understand the reasons for the regular flooding that occurs in the Piazza Isolo, a square in the city centre sited on land that was created with infill after a devastating flood in 1888 forced the city to redirect the Adige river. The square has recently undergone extensive renovation, which has involved replacing a street market and wartime bus station with an attractive open plaza and architect-designed underground car park.

Once the source of the flooding is identified it will be possible to create a solution, which is likely to involve constructing a holding tank or overflow system to contain or dispel the excess water. The model will allow the utility to choose the correct intervention, maximizing the benefits that can be accrued and minimizing the capital investment required.

The model is utilizing the complete drainage database, from which details of the gullies have been removed because it was felt this would have considerably increased the complexity of the model without adding any extra value. The volume was easily compensated for using the InfoWorks CS prune tool.

Impermeable areas within each catchment were easily identified as AGSM had already digitized polygons for all impermeable areas within its boundaries. The foul water component was derived directly from a water supply model using a simple import tool.

AGSM Verona has also just completed a flow survey to obtain valuable data for model calibration. Gallina notes: "The data will form an important element within the modeling project. The Piazza Isolo trial will provide AGSM Verona with valuable expertise in working with InfoWorks CS, which they then intend to use more widely across their area. It is a powerful and flexible tool, which will become a key aid to the company in future."

Wallingford Software (www.wallingfordsoftware.com) produces market leading software tools for the water industry. Products include data management and network modeling software to support planning and operations in water distribution, sewerage, river management and coastal engineering. Customers include water authorities, consulting engineers and academic institutions throughout the world. Based in Wallingford, UK, the company has offices in the United States, Malaysia, China and Australia and distributors throughout the rest of the world.

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