Water, Weather and Environment
The Hillingdon Lighthouse Project – Improving flood response with KISTERS datasphere and KISTERS HydroMaster
Summary:
In this case study, discover the collaborative success story of the London Borough of Hillingdon, driven by the dynamic partnership between KISTERS Datasphere and KISTERS HydroMaster. These industry-leading cloud solutions have redefined environmental decision making, enabling Hillingdon to gain real-time awareness of rainfall and water levels. Through seamless data integration and weather insights, this innovative approach has significantly improved flood resilience, facilitated proactive decision making and engaged the local community.
- The challenge.
- The project overview.
- The achievements.
- The results and beyond.
The challenge.
As climate change intensified rainfall events, Hillingdon faced escalating flood risks. Aging infrastructure struggled to cope with sudden heavy rainfall, resulting in surface water flooding. A lack of timely warning hampered response efforts, resulting in property damage and slow recovery.
The 2016 floods in Hillingdon highlighted the urgent need for advanced flood management. Inadequate awareness and delayed data collection hampered the response. They sought a solution that would provide real-time data insights, early warning and community engagement.
The project overview.
Working with KISTERS, Hillingdon harnessed the combined power of KISTERS Datasphere and KISTERS HydroMaster :
- Unified Insights: KISTERS Datasphere collected data from multiple sources, while KISTERS HydroMaster provided accurate weather forecasts, resulting in a comprehensive platform for informed decision making.
- Sensor Network: A strategic network of sensors meticulously tracked water levels and rainfall, enabling rapid identification of flood-prone areas.
- Historical Analysis: KISTERS Datasphere’s robust cloud infrastructure preserved historical data, enabling comprehensive research and analysis for accurate flood forecasting.
- Community Engagement: Hillingdon actively engaged residents by sharing real-time data and alerts through KISTERS Datasphere.
The achievements.
- Accurate forecasting: KISTERS HydroMaster’s accurate weather forecasts enabled rapid response to potential flood scenarios.
- Real-time monitoring: KISTERS Datasphere seamlessly displayed live sensor data, enabling agile flood response and strategic resource allocation.
- Efficient Alerts: Customisable alerts triggered email, text and Twitter alerts to stakeholders inside and outside the council.
- Data Fusion: KISTERS Datasphere enabled efficient access to data from the Environment Agency and neighbouring councils, enriching the overall flood picture.
- Empowered community: Sharing graphs and maps via KISTERS Datasphere actively engaged residents, accelerating their response to surface water flooding.
- Advanced Analytics: Enhanced tools provided quick access to daily totals, historical records and peak levels, improving flood investigation reports.
The results and beyond.
Hillingdon’s synergy with KISTERS through KISTERS Datasphere and KISTERS HydroMaster has transformed flood management. This project demonstrated the potential of collaboration and data sharing, resulting in cost efficiencies and advanced drainage strategies. Continued refinement and expansion strengthens flood resilience and deepens community engagement.
Note: This revised case study concisely highlights the project’s core elements—KISTERS Datasphere, KISTERS HydroMaster—emphasising the collaborative success achieved.