Water Simulation Packages (WSP)

The Organizing Committee of the International Conference on Water and Flood Management (ICWFM) is pleased to invite all interested persons to participate in the Conference to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 12 to 14, 2007.

The present conference is aimed to make a bridge among the researchers, academicians and professionals with common interest to exchanges their views to address the issues related to water and flood management

More information here.

The WDSA 2006 will hold a special workshop for the Battle of the Water Sensor Network.

The problem description and rules are available at the WDSA 2006 workshops page.

Managing Ground-Water Systems
May 22-24, 2006

The MODFLOW conference series has become a tradition for the presentation of cutting-edge practical application of ground water models in all aspects of hydrologic work. MODFLOW, the USGS modular three-dimensional finite-difference, ground-water flow model, has become an international standard for ground-water modeling. MODFLOW serves as a centerpiece for the recurring conference, but we anchor on MODFLOW only because of its widespread use and its status as a community model. The conference organizing committee needs and encourages participation by users of all types of models in all kinds of applications, including those for which MODFLOW is not suitable, so that the modeling capability of our profession will evolve. MODFLOW is a basis from which other models can be considered. The advantages and disadvantages of alternative codes can be reflected from MODFLOW with which nearly all modelers are familiar.

For more details click here.

8th Annual International Symposium on Water Distribution Systems Analysis

Cincinnati, OH, August 27-30, 2006
http://www.eng.uc.edu/wdsa2006/

Background:
Dating to 1999, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has sponsored annual symposia on water distribution systems analysis (WDSA). These international meetings have come to be recognized as the North American focal point for computational methods used to analyze, design, and operate water distribution systems, as well as related field studies and applications. For 2006, the organizing committee will expand this annual event into a one-time stand-alone Symposium dedicated to WDSA, with increased opportunities for participation and expanded scope. Please see the above web site for complete details. Attendance is expected to be in the range of 250 to 300 participants drawn from universities, governmental agencies, water utilities and consulting engineering firms.

Topics of Interest:
Abstracts are solicited on virtually all topics of relevance to water distribution systems analysis. Applied, theoretical, and methodological studies are welcome. Topic categories include:

• System Operation and Control
• System Design
• Optimization Algorithms for System Design and Control
• Real-Time Forecasting, Operational Analysis, and Event Detection
• Vulnerability/Consequence Assessment
• Water Security Research and Applications
• Water Quality Sensing and Monitoring
• Case Studies and Field Applications
• Hydraulic Transient Analysis
• Leak Detection
• Infrastructure Asset Management
• Model Calibration Algorithms and Applications
• Network Demand Modeling
• Network Hydraulic Models and Algorithms
• Network Water Quality Models and Algorithms
• Stochastic Simulation and Analysis
• Systems Integration or Integration with GIS/SCADA/CIS

Venue:
The venue will be the new Marriott Kingsgate Conference Center at the University of Cincinnati.

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WDSA2006 Call For Abstracts

Here is a message from Dr. Avi Ostfeld:

Dear Colleagues,

On May 26, 2005 I have issued a call to this list on a “Battle of the Sensors” exercise as part of the planned Special Issue of the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management on Drinking Water Distribution Systems Security. Since than I have worked closely with Prof. Jim Uber from the University of Cincinnati to formulate the “Battle” rules, network examples, etc. and came to two main conclusions: (1) the “Battle” is an extremely interesting and challenging issue, and (2) it would be much better to have a session (or more) on that topic, prior to moving to a journal manuscript. We (myself and Jim) are inviting you all (see attached initial announcement) to take part at this challenge during the 8th Water Distribution Systems Analysis SYMPOSIUM in Cincinnati, August 27-30, 2006. If you have any further questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact me or Jim.

Thanks,

Avi

Read the announcement (in PDF format).

InfraGard 2005 National Conference (hosted by the InfraGard National Members Alliance and the FBI) has a track called “Taking Aim at Our Nation’s Drinking Water”:

Track Overview
As security tightens around airports and other facilities, terrorists are acquiring targets that are easier to reach. These easier to reach targets are called “soft targets” because of their relaxed security, easy access, critical nature to our nations well-being, and, when struck, create fear and paralyze large groups of people.

Drinking water is the ultimate soft target. It is a necessity of life. It is a critical and emotionally-charged component of our nation’s infrastructure. Drinking water is easily accessible with security being erratic to non-existent. Additionally, drinking water and its distribution systems are acutely susceptible to widespread contamination by readily available nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

Consciously-contaminated drinking water will, at a minimum, cause the economy to stall, stop business activities and transportation, close schools and churches, interrupt governmental affairs, destroy the public’s trust in their public officials, and negatively-impact source water supplies (aquifers, reservoirs, lakes, and rivers). The aftermath of a single event is expected to cost billions of dollars.

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Water security at InfraGard 2005

June 13 - Motorola, Inc. announced it has selected ViaStar Energy, Inc. as the master distributor for its Motorola® Remote Meter Reading Solution for North American residential water market customers:

The wireless Automated Meter Reading (AMR) solution, which enables utilities to remotely read meters multiple times per day and access other important daily interval data from a distance, was developed to help utilities control costs and decrease operating expenses. The fixed-network system uses the IMR(TM) transmitter and Motorola’s MOSCAD® platform to automate the meter reading and data acquisition process for utility companies, improving remote management and streamlining access to data.

The Motorola wireless IMR transmitter, installed at the meter location, connects to meters to measure consumption and other critical information. Transmitters are factory or field-programmable. A Motorola repeater relays the IMR transmitter data to the MOSCAD concentrator. Motorola software applications detect critical information such as high/low usage, loss of communication with the transmitter, consumption trends and potential leak detection.

Read the full news announcement here.

AWWA 124th Annual Conference and Exposition, June 12–16, 2005.
Moscone Center, San Francisco, California.

See it here.

Wallingford Software announced their International User Conference:

Wallingford Software, the global leader in the development of software tools for the water industry, today announced that registrations are now being taken for their International User Conference 2005 to be held on 14th and 15th September in the UK. All registrations are taken via the Wallingford Software website at www.wallingfordsoftware.com/userconf2005/.

MWH Soft Announces H2ONET V6 Release for AutoCAD 2006. Here is a part of the announcement:

Built atop AutoCAD, the world’s leading CAD platform, H2ONET delivers breakthrough performance in integrated real-time network modeling, GIS data exchange, spatial database query and analysis across multiple data types, and the sophisticated mapping required for complete infrastructure (asset) management and business planning. Its pioneering functionality and state-of-the-art computational algorithms allow engineering professionals to directly access CAD and GIS datasets, extract pertinent modeling information, and automatically construct, skeletonize, load, calibrate, analyze, design, operate and optimize any network model - saving time and money across the enterprise. Such capabilities can greatly assist water utilities in complying with drinking water quality regulations, understanding and controlling taste and odor problems, developing cost-effective energy solutions for water system operations, improving system reliability and integrity, optimizing capital improvement and rehabilitation programs, enhancing community relations, and planning sound security measures.

Read the full announcement.