The environmental protection agency for Sicily (ARPA SICILIA) has selected MIKE by DHI group of models as a standard for many different important studies on the beautiful Italian island.

MIKE 11, MIKE BASIN and ECOLab have been selected for the strategic 3-year programme “characterization and monitoring regional water bodies”; MIKE SHE and FEFLOW have been chosen for the complex groundwater monitoring programme while MIKE 21, LITPACK and MIKE MARINE GIS will be used as official modelling tools for coastal protection studies.

Dedicated training courses have been an integral part of this software supply; a total of approx. 5 weeks training provided by the Italian DHI office for ARPA technicians. DHI ITALIA is already operating as a permanent technological partner for many national and local authorities.

While again thanking ARPA managers for their confidence, we trust that the ARPA technicians’ work with MIKE by DHI models will be both productive and satisfying.

For more information: bya@dhi-italia.it

Image from N3PO

DHI Australia has been commissioned by the Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning to undertake a pilot study jointly funded by the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change into the potential changes to hazards such as flooding and storm surge caused by climate change. The study area covers the South East Queensland region from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast.

Flood Hazards
The Rapid Flood Assessment (RFA) process will be applied to a number of SEQ coastal catchments to estimate possible changes in flooding due to climate change. The RFA involves applying rainfall from a 2 and 24 hour stacked storm to a DEM using MIKE 21. The flood hazard is then calculated from the water depth and velocity. Information on how extreme rainfall is expected to change by 2030 was supplied by CSIRO based on a published study (reference Abbs etc).

The RFA model was found to produce results that are in good agreement with the flood models provided by local councils.  The benefits of the RFA method is that it can cover whatever area the DEM covers and runs at a significantly reduced time compared to the detailed flood studies. The RFA model does not include details such as storm water drains and therefore can overestimate flood hazards is highly developed areas.

RFA is seen as a useful method to model regional scale changes to flooding hazards as a result of changes in rainfall patterns. It provides a big picture view of where changes in flooding are likely to be significant, thereby indicating priority areas for more detailed investigations.

Storm Tide Hazards

DHI, in collaboration with Gold Coast City Council and Griffith University, have developed the Gold Coast Estuarine Modelling System (GEMS) using MIKE21 flexible mesh hydrodynamic and wave models. GEMS covers the entire south east Queensland region and provides a useful platform with which to model storm tide impacts.

Due to time and budget constraints a full storm tide study has not been completed as part of this project.  The approach chosen was to run an illustrative scenario of a category 3 tropical cyclone making landfall at 5 different locations across the region. Modelled water levels for the simulated storm event were compared with ARI levels from the 2004 study of ocean hazards by James Cook University (reference).

This category 3 storm was then “climate enhanced” by decreasing the central pressure by 10 hPa (CSIRO 2000). Using the Kanff & Zehr method (2007) the climate enhanced maximum wind speed is then 60 m/s.

The area and depth of potential inundation for each time horizon was identified as well as the change in inundation between the two time horizons. These results provide a useful demonstration of the possible effects of climate change on extreme storm tides events in SEQ.

For more information: gbs@dhigroup.com

The 2009 release of MIKE URBAN includes a long list of new features and improvements of existing features in the WD (Water Distribution) module. Some of these have been described in previous newsletters. Below are a few more:

MIKE URBAN: Display current operating pump points on the Q-H curve
MIKE URBAN allows you to display the current operating pump point for the selected time step and/or animate the position of the operating point during the simulation period.

In order to display the current operating Q-H point for a pump, load the simulation into MIKE URBAN, open the Pump Editor and click Graph to display the Q-H plot. The pump Q-H plot will be displayed in the new window and the position of the current operating point will be red circled.

Illustration: Current operating Q-H point for a pump

It is also possible to animate the position of the operating point during the simulation period by clicking Run from the results animation.

This feature is a part of WD module of MIKE URBAN 2009.

For more information: p.ingeduld@dhigroup.com

MIKE URBAN: Merge selected pipes
In addition to the model simplification (Tools | Simplification), MIKE URBAN provides very fast and easy way of merging selected pipes. In order to merge selected pipes, select such pipes from the Map window and select Tools | Selection | Merge selected pipes. Selected pipes, in case that there are no "T" or other complex junctions, will be merged together. Pipe length (geometrical and/or user defined) will be equal to the sum of merged pipe lengths while other pipe attributes (such as diameter, material, friction) will be equal to the first pipe used for merging (you should therefore merge pipes with similar parameters or revise the merged pipe attributes for changes).

Illustration: Select pipes you would like to merge together

Illustration: Select pipes and merge them together

This feature is a part of WD module of MIKE URBAN 2009.

For more information: p.ingeduld@dhigroup.com

With the aim of reducing the simulation runtime we have been able to optimize the MIKE FLOOD code in the coupling algorithm between the 2D overland flow engine and the 1D river/urban engines. This has resulted in a significant reduction of the runtime. Our tests on a number of real world examples covering a wide range of urban and riverine as well combined cases show reductions in simulation runtime by a factor between 2 and 13.  The speed improvement becomes most effective for large models with a high number of flooded MIKE 21 cells and with many MIKE 21 cells receiving water from links to MIKE 11 and/or MIKE URBAN (MOUSE engine).

We have already received positive feedback from some of our MIKE FLOOD users who have received a hotfix for the 2008 service pack 3 version.

This improvement is available as a MIKE FLOOD hotfix for version 2009 as well as version 2008+SP3. It will also become generally available with SP1 of 2009 release. To receive a hotfix already now please contact your local support office or our global support (software@dhigroup.com).

MIKE 21/3 Oil Spill model (OS) contains the option to output information about the location, properties and processes for the individual oil particles in files of XML format.

The XML file can be imported as a particle layer into Grid Plot and Grid Editor to show the overall track and instant value and location in the domain of all the oil particles. The XML file can also be opened by Microsoft Office EXCEL as an XML table. This layout enables easy access to sorting the individual particles and to create presentation charts.

An oil spill example using this type of presentation can be downloaded from here.

Every year hundreds of current and future MIKE software users meet around the globe at one of our regional or national conferences, user group meetings, road shows; streamline seminars, round tables or workshops. In order to respond to our users’ requests, needs and recommendations we have decided to increase the number of our MIKE by DHI events significantly in 2009.

We are proud to announce that this year we have planned a large number of MIKE by DHI events around the world. Please visit our DHI Global Event Calendar, which always keeps you updated on upcoming events. If you do not find what you are looking for please contact your local DHI office which will tell you when and where the next MIKE User Group Meeting or Conference will take place in your country or region in 2009.

Annual User Group Meeting & Training Sessions - Switzerland
5-6 May, Luzern, Switzerland
For further information please contact Mr Ralf Engels, DHI-WASY, Germany or visit the Swiss User Group Meeting website

MIKE by DHI User Group Meeting - Australia
1 June, Sydney, Australia
The User Group Meeting lies in conjunction with Australia Training Week 2009 - Sydney.

For further information please contact Mr Stefan Szylkarski, DHI Australia, or visit the Australia User Group Meeting & Training Week website.

1st User Group Meeting - Greece
11-12 June, Athens, Greece

For further information please contact Director Elias Moussoulis, DHI Greece.

Annual User Group Meeting - Thailand
18-19 June, Bangkok, Thailand
For further information please contact  Varaporn Buranautama (MAY) DHI - Thailand  go to DHI Thailand User Group Meeting website

Annual User Group Meeting - California
21 September 2009, San Diego, California, US
For further information please contact Ms Barbara White, DHI Canada

11th User Group Meeting & Training Sessions - United Kingdom
30 September -1 October 2009, Lion Quays, Oswestry, Shropshire, England
For further details please contact Mr Simon Matthews, DHI UK or visit the UK User Group Meeting website

13th User Conference - Japan
7-8 October, Tokyo, Japan
For further information please contact Mr Francois Salesse, DHI Japan

3rd User Conference - Italy
7-8 October, Torino, Italy
For further information please contact Ms Birnur Yavuz, DHI Italy.visit the Conference website

6th Asia-Pacific DHI Software Conference - Singapore
12-13 October, Singapore
For further information please contact the "Singapore 2009 Conference Secretariat" or visit the Conference website.

1st User Group Meeting - India
2-3 November, New Delhi, India
For further information please contact Ms Rachana Agrawal and Mr Ajay Pradhan, DHI India, or visit the India User Group website.

FEFLOW 2009 - 2nd International FEFLOW User Conference
14-18 September 2009, Potsdam/Berlin, Germany
FEFLOW 2009 will mark the 30th anniversary of the FEFLOW software, today's premium simulation software for subsurface and porous media modelling.

Conference highlights include:

• Keynote presentations of trends and latest ideas in numerical modelling of water resources and related fields
• User presentations
• Product updates & software demonstrations
• Opportunities to meet DHI-WASY partners and FEFLOW users worldwide
• Training courses

For further information please contact the Conference Secretariat or visit the Conference website

DHI is pleased to announce our 6th Asia-Pacific MIKE by DHI Software Conference, 12-13 October, Singapore -"From Innovation to Engineering"

Conference Highlights

Technical activities:

User presentations - Monday 12 October 2009
A number of applications will be presented. Focus will be on practical engineering applications as well as state-of-the art innovative applications. The presentations and applications will cover coasts and seas, cities, and rivers and run in parallel tracks, focusing on, amongst others, the topics:

• Coastal/ marine water & environment
• Water resources management & planning
• Flood management & control
• Urban water management
• Environmental modelling

MIKE software demonstration – Tuesday 13 October 2009
In special sessions you will learn more about the latest releases and future directions of MIKE by DHI. The sessions will run as half-day parallel tracks.

Social activities:

Icebreaker Reception - Sunday 11 October 2009
Conference Dinner - Monday 12 October 2009

Venue and Accommodation

The Conference will take place at the Waterfront Conference Centre of the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore

Call for Abstracts

We invite users who are interested in sharing their modelling experiences and know-how with fellow colleagues to submit abstracts (max 250 words) in English and in MS format no later than 1 June 2009 by email to the Conference Secretariat “Singapore 2009” – email: apsc2009@dhi.com.sg

Further information & registration

Please go to the Conference website for “Singapore 2009” - www.dhi.com.sg/Singapore2009.

Deadline for Early Bird Registration: 31 May 2009

3rd MIKE by DHI User Group Meeting - Denmark

Some 70 MIKE users from all over Denmark found their way to this two-day event held last week at Rungstedgaard Conference Centre on the east coast of Zealand only 30 km north of Copenhagen. Our experienced hostesses, Loni, Sus and Lone, welcomed conference participants to the centre, situated next door to one of Denmark’s most renown locations: the Karen Blixen museum, housed in the author’s own home on the seafront. The outdoor scene was nicely set; blue skies, a gentle sea breeze with a slight whiff of seaweed, and a clear view of Sweden on the other side of the Sound.

The case studies presented by the users included:

Analysis of an urban flood, Uffe Gangelhof, Grontmij | Carl Bro A/S
Excessive rainfall during the summer 2007 flooded a housing area in Hillerod. Water from technical installations as well as surface run-off contributed to the flood, which caught not only the municipality but also the inhabitants unawares. MIKE Flood has been used to simulate what actually went on.

MIKE modelling of large infra structure projects, Hanne Svendsen, COWI A/S
MIKE models are extensively applied by COWI when designing large international infrastructure projects. They are used not only to assess design parameters (waves, water levels, currents, etc.) and to optimise layout with regard to environmental aspects, execution methods and construction costs. The presentation demonstrated the width and possibilities of MIKE 21 and LITPACK as assisting tools in the design phase of these kinds of projects exemplified in the world’s largest causeway being built between Qatar and Bahrain. The presentation included similar projects from other parts of the world, for example the planned crossing of Maracaibo in Venezuela.

Intelligent wastewater handling for ’Lynettenfælleskabet’, Henrik Soenderup, Ramboll Denmark A/S
Two new MIKE URBAN models for each of the catchment areas for the wastewater treatment plants ‘Lynetten’ and ‘Damhusåen’ have been coupled to WEST models of the treatment plants. How the models were made and how this integrated coupling can improve the performance was presented.

The Application of MIKE FLOOD based on the DANVA Climate Guideline, Lene Lykke Kraglund and Morten Larsen, Orbicon. In order to enable municipalities and utilities to be at the forefront of climate adaptation the Danish Water and Waste Water Association (DANVA) has published a ‘cookbook’. An analysis of a drainage system and the development of solutions for flooding events were presented based on this.

The following application examples were presented by our colleagues from DHI Solutions:

Henrik Kofoed-Hansen, Ports and Offshore Techonology, on how far DHI has come with the modelling of movements of and forces on floating structures.

Ulrik Lomborg, Coastal & Estuarine Dynamics, on the hydrographic monitoring programme for the Fehmarnbelt link

Henrik Refstrup, Water Resources, on Real-time flood forecasting system comprising coupled MIKE SHE- MIKE 11 model and DIMS for the Aarhus creek catchment area

Anders Refsgaard, Water Resources, Optimization of extraction strategy on source level - the advantages of coupling groundwater and water distribution models

Klavs Bundgaard, Coastal & Estuarine Dynamics, Sedimentation problems in navigation channels and possible impacts on adjacent wetlands

Henrik Skov, Ecology & Environment, Birds monitoring programme for the Fehmarnbelt link - EIA study comprising ambitious field and model investigations.

On the second day of the conference the many new features and functions in Release 2009 were demonstrated.

Every year more than 2,500 current and future users attend our global MIKE software training and courses. Participants come from governmental agencies, regional and local water bodies, research institutions and universities, professional bodies and engineering companies, urban water utilities, coastal and harbour authorities.

The following training schemes are offered:

• Public standard courses
  Our standard courses are modular and allow you to build your expertise so as to match the requirements of your job. Likewise, they assist you in expanding/upgrading your team's productivity, modelling skills and expertise in a quick, efficient and cost-effective way.
• Tailored courses
  Customised courses are based upon your own data and range from short courses to longer, specialised training packages. These courses are typically offered at your own premises.
• Online webinars
  Webinars give you an overview of the basic features of our MIKE by DHI tools.

Further information
Our Global Course Calendar always tells you when, where and which courses are offered in your country or region.

You are also welcome to contact our International Course Secretariat: courses@dhigroup.com

We are pleased to announce our Global Software Training Calendar for 2009.

Should the training course of your interest not be on the list, please feel free to contact our International Course Secretariat at DHI in Denmark or your local DHI office.