Decision Support System for Dredging and Reclamation Environmental Monitoring and Management Plans (Emmps)
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XX: "The Art of Dredging" - 2013, Brussels, Belgium
Authors:
Hoa KH, Doorn-Groen SM, Forster TM, Truong TT
Abstract: DHI Water & Environment (S) Pte Ltd has been involved in various large scale marine projects, often related to dredging and reclamation operations. To safeguard environmental receptors in potential impact areas, Environmental Monitoring and Management Plans (EMMPs) have been executed in Singapore since 2004, to monitor and manage marine works in a systematic and quantifiable way, such that the marine development does not adversely impact the environment.
Depending on the scale and complexity of an EMMP, various tools have been used for data collection, management and distribution. Large scale EMMPs generally follow a response system of seven days a week and can become very complex in terms of data management. Over time, manual management and interpretation of data becomes too labour intensive and time consuming. Therefore, a Decision Support System (DSS) named “Gateway” was developed for dredging and reclamation operations, to automate and manage data collection and distribution, and to improve the daily response system.
The DSS tool facilitates collection of data from third parties (e.g. Contractors, Laboratories), such as daily production volumes, location and duration of operations, type of vessel, operation method and type of material dredged or reclaimed. Third parties use a web-based system for data input, after which the data is automatically processed at DHI. The data received is monitored, quality assured, used for sediment spill calculations and prepared for numerical model input by in-house engineers. In general, basic and repeated functions have been automated so that information and results are obtained quickly and consistently, thereby reducing errors and improving the quality of results. The centralised “Gateway” is now a ‘one-stop’ DSS tool, sufficient for monitoring most daily operations and complementing existing DHI software tools (MIKE 21 HD/MT), used to analyse changes in hydrodynamics and mud transport behaviour as a result of dredging and/or reclamation operations.
To date, Gateway has been implemented successfully for several large and small scale EMMPs and has proven effective in increasing the productivity and efficiency in EMMPs during dredging and reclamation projects.
Keywords: Data Assimilation, Data Management, Spill calculation, Automation.