oVERFLOw

Overview

Description

The ‘Vulnerability assessment of embankments and bridges exposed to flooding hazards’ (oVERFLOW) project aims to improve the method for assessing the vulnerability of levees and bridges to floods. Flooding is a significant threat to human life, ecosystems, cultural heritage and society, and in recent years Europe has experienced some of the largest floods in its history.  

The three partner countries involved in the project (Croatia, the Netherlands and Slovenia) are particularly vulnerable to cross-border flooding from major European river systems. Floods not only impact the safety and functionality of bridges, they also affect their performance as critical parts of evacuation routes. 

While the VNK2 risk-based method for assessing flood defences developed in the Netherlands is state-of-the-art, it relies on a number of uncertain parameters. When flood defences are failing, the condition of a bridge or levee changes in a matter of minutes. oVERFLOW reduces these uncertainties using technologies (including sensors and drones) developed by applicants in recent H2020 projects to provide real-time response.  

The technology will be deployed and demonstrated at two pilot sites in the Netherlands and Croatia in order to validate the new technologies, transfer the risk-based approach from the Netherlands to Slovenia/Croatia, and to gain buy-in from a range of stakeholders. 

The work will be performed by a consortium including two civil protection agencies, three research and development-focused small and medium-sized enterprises, a university, and a research institute. 

Project content

Partner organisations