Hydraulic model integration with infinitii flowworks – closing the gap with digital twins

Municipal stormwater departments invest years of engineering effort into hydraulic models. SWMM, InfoWorks, or MIKE models are calibrated against real data, validated through design storms, and refined through countless planning studies. But for most utilities, these models sit dormant between projects, producing static reports that become outdated the moment they're printed.

Hydraulic model integration with infinitii flowworks – closing the gap with digital twins

In the video above, you will learn that the problem isn't the models themselves. It's how we use them. When a major storm approaches, operators check rain gauges and sensor levels, not model predictions. When green infrastructure is installed, years pass before anyone re-runs the model to measure its impact.

What if these models could run continuously, automatically comparing predictions against live sensor data?

A recent project in Metro Vancouver demonstrates exactly that. The engineering team integrated their existing SWMM model with infinitii flowworks, through our Python scripting engine called infinitii face pro. Using infinitii face pro, the team brought their hydraulic model online into flowworks in mere weeks, not months.

7-day flood forecasting became possible

The results were immediate. Flood forecasting became possible by feeding seven-day weather forecasts into the model. Operators can now see predicted flows at any location in the drainage network, not just where sensors are installed. For watersheds with steep terrain and flashy hydrology, this advance warning is invaluable.

Operators alerted when model predictions diverge from sensor readings

The integrated system also provides alarms at ungauged locations, flagging when flows approach capacity at critical culvert crossings. And when model predictions consistently diverge from sensor readings, it often reveals sensor fouling or drift, giving operations staff an automated cross-check they never had before.

But perhaps the most compelling outcome was unplanned. By keeping the model calibrated to historical conditions from 2010, before most green infrastructure was installed, something remarkable emerged. 

The model validated decades of green infrastructure investment

During winter storms, model predictions matched observed flows closely. But during spring and summer storms, the model consistently over-predicted flows. This wasn't a calibration failure. It was proof that two decades of green infrastructure investment was actually working.

No need for expensive digital twin platforms

Achieving automated hydraulic model results like this would traditionally require expensive digital twin platforms. But most municipalities already have the pieces they need using existing calibrated models from master planning studies and automating those with the predictive capabilities of infinitii flowworks.

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