The impact of the extreme rainfall events from the last few days could be minimize with the help of Giswater. This open-source software, mainly developed by a group of Spanish entrepreneurs, simulates extreme scenarios of storms and allows to detect the points of greatest risk of collapse of drainage networks.
Any city council or water management company that wants to anticipate extreme episodes of floodings has at its disposal a free open-source program. Its name is Giswater and one of its main functions is to generate simulations of extreme events which can diagnose the capacity of the urban drainage network and detect the areas of greatest risk of collapse. The program facilitates the diagnosis of the state of urban drainage networks and the consequent prioritization of investment to prevent future floodings.
Josep Lluís Sala, partner director of BGEO, explains that “the rain cannot be avoided but what can be influenced is the impact on citizens, and in an easier and cheaper way than most of people think”. According to Sala, “tools such as Giswater, which are free and open-source, allow to improve significantly the management of networks and to reduce the effects of future floodings, leading as well to cost savings for administrations, insurance companies and individuals”. Sala concludes by saying that “in a geographic area where storms are common and important, this tool should be considered by any city council.”
Giswater (www.giswater.org) is a program developed by the company BGEO (www.bgeo.es), having its headquarters in Granollers (Barcelona), and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. During its first year, Giswater has been downloaded more than 3,300 times by professionals from over 80 different countries.