Heavy Rainfall Early Warning System

Digital Resilience
for Cities and Municipalities

SAVING LIVES – PRESERVING VALUES

Heavy rainfall events are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity. They are locally confined, difficult to predict, and can cause significant damage within a very short time. Flooded streets, water-filled basements, and overloaded sewer systems are just some of the consequences. Municipalities face the challenge of responding quickly and effectively — with digital solutions that work locally and provide early warnings.

The heavy rainfall early warning system offers an innovative way to detect, accurately assess, and communicate heavy rainfall risks at an early stage. It helps cities and municipalities strengthen the resilience of their infrastructure and better protect people and property.

MODE OF OPERATION

The system combines meteorological forecasts with local sensor data and hydrodynamic simulations. It creates a digital real-time twin of the municipality, enabling precise prediction of flooding scenarios — including concrete action recommendations.

Core components:

• Real-time monitoring of rainfall amounts, water levels, and critical points in the sewer network
• Cloud-based data analysis with continuous simulation of potential flooding events
• Digital real-time twin (interactive 3D model) of the municipality for visualizing current and forecasted scenarios
• Multi-level alarm system with clear behavioral instructions for citizens and emergency services

Alert levels

In an emergency, fast and targeted communication is crucial. The system issues alerts through various channels — reliable and individually configurable.

Alert channels:
· Push notifications via a mobile app
· SMS, email, and voice call
· Interfaces to municipal warning systems and emergency service infrastructures

Target groups:
· Citizens receive location-based information about the danger situation
· Emergency services receive specific operational instructions
· Municipal decision-makers receive comprehensive situation reports and forecasts

TECHNOLOGICAL FOUNDATION

The system has a modular design and can be flexibly integrated into existing municipal infrastructures. It uses modern communication technologies and remains operational even in the event of a network outage.

Technological features:

• Local IoT sensors (rain gauges, water levels, sewer overflows)
• Data transmission via 4G/5G, LoRa, NB-IoT, MIOTY
• Satellite communication for emergency operation
• Visualization through a web dashboard and mobile devices

BENEFITS FOR MUNICIPALITIES

• Early warning in cases of heavy rainfall and flash floods
• Targeted measures for hazard prevention
• Relief for emergency services through precise information
• Protection of lives and property
• Eligibility for funding within municipal climate adaptation strategies
• Scalability for cities, towns, districts, and federal states

Partnership between EDAG Group & Spekter

EDAG Production Solutions (EDAG PS) and Spekter have a strong partnership, as demonstrated by the District of Fulda’s “eRisk management heavy rain early warning system” project.