News
Thetis introduces the SSD-MTB 1.0 Decision-making Support System
The personnel of the Thetis Previsions and Modelling Centre are pleased to announce the system’s successful launch.
This accomplishment, which is of fundamental importance to the operation of the Mose System, was achieved well before the Mose system’s implementation.
The Venice Water Authority now has access to an excellent system that can be adapted to meet a
The SSD-MTB 1.0 decision-making system enables the following to be performed:
1. Real-time simulation of the decision-making process for warnings, as well as the closing and opening of mobile barriers for future high water events. A mathematical model that reproduces variations in the lagoon water levels following barrier closure permits the system’s performance to be evaluated as if these barriers were already functioning.
2. Simulation of past high water events, taking into consideration various sea level rise scenarios, different forecasting models, and detailed decision-making rules aimed at reducing the number of unnecessary closures and interruptions of port traffic.
Beginning in November, focus will be placed on aspects relating to the system’s safety, as well as planning activities designed to optimize maintainability, reliability and data security, while limiting operational costs (applying Project Risk Management techniques to the hardware and software components, the networks that record and transmit data, and the operators).
The streamlining of the system and its duplication in two separate locations - Thetis at the Venice Arsenal and Nethun at the cruise terminal – has been underway for some time. The system is viewed as a group of separate yet interactive modules that include the communications module for receiving data from the monitoring networks, the meteorological forecasting centres and the high water event forecasting models. The meteorological-marine database and the forecasting database are being duplicated.
The forecasting service will have access to specialized support for this important activity, including assistance in the development, maintenance and continuous monitoring of the two systems installed at Thetis and Nethun.
DAMEBORG, a meteorological and marine database and forecasting network dedicated to information technologist Andrea Borgato
The DAMEBORG system currently consists of meteorological and marine data and meteorological forecasting records, which are needed to carry out high water event forecasting. This information is used in conjunction with readings from the SSD-MTB 1.0 Decision-making System to manage the mobile barriers.
These databases transitioned from research and development environments to fully operational environments in January 2008 thanks to the efforts of Andrea Borgato. Two years after his death, we would now like to recognize Andrea’s contribution by dedicating the completion of the project to him. He enthusiastically embarked upon this endeavour, helping others who were less skilled in the field of Information Technology, including Paolo and Giuseppe – who wore among his first co-workers at Thetis – and Giovanni and Stefano, who established objectives and priorities amidst the pitfalls and excitement of learning by doing. What needed to be accomplished at any cost was clear from the beginning but how to achieve it, and the important role that Andrea’s experience would play, were still unknown.
After this transition to an operational environment, the structuring of the system was immediately pursued with the support of Thetis’ computer scientists.
Control algorithms are still required and the data to enter in the databases must be standardized and expanded in order to complete the project. New resources will need to work intensively for the next few months to achieve the goal of producing a high-performance, reliable system that will be fully operational by the end of the year.
Thetis-PREV personnel will be trained simultaneously so that the system can be maintained and continuously updated by Thetis personnel.
Finally, during several high water events, remote monitoring technology that can be used overnight and on holidays will be tested to verify the system’s capabilities and the operators’ level of training.
I hope that today’s proposal will be viewed as an occasion for optimism and an opportunity to develop an ability to adapt to change.
Hopefully, disturbance will always offer an opportunity for growth.
Giovanni Cecconi Thetis, 28 October 2011
Dedicated to: Andrea Borgato, Stefano Libardo, Giuseppe Barusolo, Paolo Travers, Roberto Chiarlo, Luca De Nat, and Amabel Cimenti of Thetis-PREV; Paolo Telaroli and Andrea Carrer, Maria Teresa Brotto, the new director who has ceaselessly encouraged us, and to those at Thetis who strive to collaborate and share their experience.
