Early warning against flooding

TenCate Geosynthetics and AGT International are to collaborate on the installation of GeoDetect technology in a dyke body at the Yellow River in Dayulan in the Henan province in China.

TenCate GeoDetect is a monitoring system based on geotextiles, which can be either woven or nonwoven, with integrated fibre optics to register changes in embankments and dykes and will be used in the AGT Flood Early Warning System.

The AGT Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) will be employed to collect and analyse data on dyke stability and deformations and on the risk of flooding. These will provide a basis for taking measures to prevent subsidence or dike failure as quickly as possible. The system is also able to do a flood prognosis and can assist decision makers in timely evacuation. It will provide the manager with information about the condition and stability of the dike.

“The collaboration of AGT International and TenCate Geosynthetics is another great example of open innovation within our industry,” says TenCate global group director Wally Moore. “The combination of our geosynthetics and sensor technology with partners such as AGT International gives us an innovative and differentiated approach to the tracing of possible defects and problems with dykes and the hydraulic-infrastructural segment of our water and environmental activities.”

“By bringing Dutch know-how in water management, we are uniquely positioned with TenCate and other partners to implement this ground breaking system,” says Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau, head of AGT International in the Netherlands. “Our solution collects real-time information from new and existing systems to generate a real-time assessment of the river conditions. Our advanced prediction and simulation software will generate alerts and recommendations to affected areas. Another key element for the full realization and success of the project is our commitment to turning key project findings into shared learning opportunities.”

For a number of years TenCate Geosynthetics, using TenCate GeoDetect, has been involved in projects with intelligent dyke monitoring, including the IJkdijk project in the Netherlands. GeoDetect has been tried and tested in hydraulic works structures such as embankment dams, canals and levees and is already used in the building of roads and railways and the construction of retaining walls, bridge abutments and underground constructions worldwide. TenCate GeoDetect is patented and was specifically designed for geotechnical applications.