Rijkswaterstaat collaborates with the KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) to collect, process, and distribute meteorological data. Additionally, Rijkswaterstaat collects hydrological data through the National Water Monitoring Network (LMW). This data is crucial for protecting the Netherlands against high water levels and ensuring the safety of maritime and air traffic on and above the busy North Sea. With the advent of offshore wind farms, this data is also increasingly important for protecting and monitoring flora and fauna.
The Maritime Information Service Point (MIVSP) Project is establishing new locations where hydrological and meteorological sensors will be placed. In collaboration with the LMW and KNMI, these locations are being integrated into existing systems for data collection and distribution. By 2030, MIVSP will equip at least seven locations with these sensors. The number and type of sensors will be adjusted according to the needs of each wind farm.
From oil and gas to wind and solar
The new MIVSP locations supplement the existing services of the LMW and KNMI. They also assist in replacing monitoring sites on oil and gas platforms, which will decrease in number over the coming years due to declining yields. The phasing out of old monitoring sites and the establishment of new ones occurs at different paces, requiring careful coordination between oil and gas companies, wind farm operators, TenneT, KNMI, and Rijkswaterstaat.
Data models
The data collected at sea serves as the foundation for various data models used by KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat. These models are utilized for generating weather forecasts for aviation, water level warnings, and tidal information. In collaboration with the University of Amsterdam, Rijkswaterstaat is developing a model to predict bird movements around wind farms. Wind farm operators use this data to plan and perform predictive maintenance. Additionally, KNMI is researching the impact of wind farms on the weather.