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Dry-spell assessment through rainfall downscaling comparing deep-learning algorithms and conventional statistical frameworks

Full title: Dry-spell assessment through rainfall downscaling comparing deep-learning algorithms and conventional statistical frameworks in a data scarce region: The case of Northern Ghana By Panagiotis Mavritsakis Large parts of the world rely on rainfed agriculture for their food security. In Africa, 90% of the agricultural yields rely only on precipitation for irrigation purposes and approximately 80% of the population’s livelihood is highly dependent on its food production. Parts of Ghana are prone to droughts and flood events due to increasing variability of precipitation phenomena. Crop growth is sensitive to the wet- and dry-spell phenomena during the rainy season. To support rural communities and small farmer in their efforts to adapt to climate change and natural variability, it is crucial to have good predictions of rainfall and related dry/wet spell indices. This research constitutes an attempt to assess the dry-spell patterns in the northern region of Ghana, near Burkina Faso. We aim to develop a model which by exploiting satellite products overcomes the poor temporal and spatial coverage of existing ground precipitation measurements. The main objective is to reproduce the dry spell sequences as seen by the rain gauges (point scale) in the region of Northern Ghana based on satellite precipitation products (CMORPH, TAMSAT, IMERG). We will compare conventional statistical tools and Machine Learning classification models and deep-learning algorithms to establish a link between satellite products and field rainfall data for dry-spell assessment. The deep-learning architecture used should be able to process satellite images efficiently. Hence, several Convolutional Neural Network architectures were tested as classifiers. Using these models we will attempt to exploit the long temporal coverage of the satellite products in order to overcome the poor temporal and spatial coverage of existing ground precipitation measurements. Doing that, our final objective is to enhance our knowledge about the dry-spell characteristics and, thus, provide more reliable climatic information to the smallholder farmers in the area of Northern Ghana.

Automatic Extraction of Ridge Structures from Digital Elevation Models for the modelling software D-HYDRO

Automatic Extraction of Ridge Structures from Digital Elevation Models for the modelling software D-HYDRO By Thirza van Noppen with supervisor: Ruud van der Ent In order to avoid substantial damage as a result of flooding and extreme water discharges, it is of considerable importance to model flood events as it can help in flood risk reduction and mitigation. Numerous hydrodynamic simulation models have been designed for the purpose of modelling the movement of water and are widely used to assess flooding risk. The simplest and most common practice in these models is to use one-dimensional (1D) models that treat flow one-dimensionally along the river channel. Alternatively, two-dimensional (2D) models can provide more detailed results but they remain computationally demanding and data intensive. Recent advances and software developments resulted in novel mechanisms that can reduce computation costs. One of these mechanisms is the incorporation of fixed weirs in a hydrodynamic model. Fixed weirs represent abrupt changes in altitude that have an impact on the local flow during flooding. The fixed weirs can be incorporated into modelling software such as 3Di, HEC-RAS and D-HYDRO Suite. The weir elements are aligned on the 2D-grid network, hence the resolution of the model can be kept large while sudden changes in depth are taken into account. Until now, fixed weirs are still drawn manually or with the aid of existing data of roads or railways, which is a labor-intensive and time consuming process. In addition, the process of manually drawing fixed weirs is a subjective process and is therefore largely dependent on the interpretation of the modeler. The main objective of this study is to develop a tool that can automatically detect ridge structures based on a digital elevation model (DEM). Subsequently, the results of the tool will be evaluated in a D-HYDRO model developed for the river Roer (which is located in the province Limburg in The Netherlands). In order to do so, three approaches will be compared: a model with fixed weirs detected by the tool, a model containing no fixed weirs, and one with manually drawn fixed weirs.

Develop a monitoring scheme for the WaterStreet’s living lab

By Alexandra Vyrini, with supervisor Dr.ir. M.M. Rutten Climate and land use change pose a threat to urban environments as they are positively correlated with the increase in extreme phenomena. Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) can provide an alternative way to reduce the discharge of water to the stormwater sewer system by increasing the permeability of the pavement and creating storage underneath. Although these sustainable urban drainage systems sound very promising, they are often facing many obstacles before full-scale implementation. Lack of public awareness and the inertia of system’s change due to governance, regulations and institutional constraints put a brake towards the implementation of innovative solutions. In this regard, WaterStreet (https://thegreenvillage.org/project/waterstraat/) is a living lab that tries to reduce the effect of the factors mentioned before, by demonstrating and testing new solutions towards a sustainable urban stormwater management, without the involvement of the government. The aim of WaterStreet is to make the jump to the market smaller. From a technological perspective the reliability of SUDS’s performance is regarded the most important factor for end users to incorporate them in city planning. Maintenance of the systems, underlying soil type and vegetation are some of the factors that can affect the long-term performance of SUDS. Monitoring can be an important tool to investigate the performance of new SUDS before pilot implementation reducing the uncertainty for end users. It is therefor proposed to develop a monitoring scheme for the WaterStreet’s living lab that will enhance the knowledge on how these systems work in real live situations. A parallel study will be performed in order to include the need of data for simulation purposes. Simulation of those SUDS can be an important tool for city planning further accelerating the possibility of implementation of SUDS.

Develop a monitoring scheme for the WaterStreet’s living lab

By Alexandra Vyrini, with supervisor Dr.ir. M.M. Rutten Climate and land use change pose a threat to urban environments as they are positively correlated with the increase in extreme phenomena. Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) can provide an alternative way to reduce the discharge of water to the stormwater sewer system by increasing the permeability of the pavement and creating storage underneath. Although these sustainable urban drainage systems sound very promising, they are often facing many obstacles before full-scale implementation. Lack of public awareness and the inertia of system’s change due to governance, regulations and institutional constraints put a brake towards the implementation of innovative solutions. In this regard, WaterStreet (https://thegreenvillage.org/project/waterstraat/) is a living lab that tries to reduce the effect of the factors mentioned before, by demonstrating and testing new solutions towards a sustainable urban stormwater management, without the involvement of the government. The aim of WaterStreet is to make the jump to the market smaller. From a technological perspective the reliability of SUDS’s performance is regarded the most important factor for end users to incorporate them in city planning. Maintenance of the systems, underlying soil type and vegetation are some of the factors that can affect the long-term performance of SUDS. Monitoring can be an important tool to investigate the performance of new SUDS before pilot implementation reducing the uncertainty for end users. It is therefor proposed to develop a monitoring scheme for the WaterStreet’s living lab that will enhance the knowledge on how these systems work in real live situations. A parallel study will be performed in order to include the need of data for simulation purposes. Simulation of those SUDS can be an important tool for city planning further accelerating the possibility of implementation of SUDS.

Assess the potential of a weir as mechanism for contributing to a sustainable sand balance on the Volta River

By Jon Arends, with supervisor Prof. dr. ir. Nick Van de Giesen Tamale, a city in the Northern Region of Ghana is rapidly urbanizing resulting in a large demand for residential and commercial construction, roads and infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population. This infrastructure is primarily composed of concrete, which requires large volumes of sands and aggregates in its production. These sands and aggregates come primarily from two sources: marine and terrestrial. Terrestrial sand is used which is generally sourced from river channels and flood plains. When sand and aggregates are extracted at volumes that far exceed the rate of replenishment, it often causes grave environmental consequences. In Tamale, terrestrial sand is used for concrete works. It is estimated that between 50-65% of sand and aggregates is excavated from the river beds and walls of the Volta River with volumes expected to grow to meet the cities demands. Without proper guidance to maintain a sustainable sand balance, the Tamale region of the Volta River may experience habitat transformation, erosion, channel incision, decreased water supply and increased flood risk. Weirs are being explored to regulate the water supply for the city. Consequently, sand and aggregates will settle upstream of the weir. Can these weirs be used to sustainably remove sand from the Volta River without long term damage? How much sand could safely be removed? Questions like these hope to be answered in this research.

Assess the potential of a weir as mechanism for contributing to a sustainable sand balance on the Volta River

By Jon Arends, with supervisor Prof. dr. ir. Nick Van de Giesen Tamale, a city in the Northern Region of Ghana is rapidly urbanizing resulting in a large demand for residential and commercial construction, roads and infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population. This infrastructure is primarily composed of concrete, which requires large volumes of sands and aggregates in its production. These sands and aggregates come primarily from two sources: marine and terrestrial. Terrestrial sand is used which is generally sourced from river channels and flood plains. When sand and aggregates are extracted at volumes that far exceed the rate of replenishment, it often causes grave environmental consequences. In Tamale, terrestrial sand is used for concrete works. It is estimated that between 50-65% of sand and aggregates is excavated from the river beds and walls of the Volta River with volumes expected to grow to meet the cities demands. Without proper guidance to maintain a sustainable sand balance, the Tamale region of the Volta River may experience habitat transformation, erosion, channel incision, decreased water supply and increased flood risk. Weirs are being explored to regulate the water supply for the city. Consequently, sand and aggregates will settle upstream of the weir. Can these weirs be used to sustainably remove sand from the Volta River without long term damage? How much sand could safely be removed? Questions like these hope to be answered in this research.

Inundation of unprotected areas due to flexible water level management around the IJsselmeer and Markermeer

By: Lisa Goossens Since 2019 Rijkswaterstaat is applying a flexible water level management in the IJsselmeer and Markermeer. It offers the manager the opportunity to adjust for (extreme) weather conditions and the demand for drinking water. By maintaining an higher water level at the end of winter, an extra water buffer can be created of 390 million m3. During a dry summer the northern part of the Netherlands can be provided with fresh water from the buffer which can be used for agriculture, industry, drinking water and recreation. In addition, the water level will drop and rise in a more natural way with an higher water level in early spring and reaching lower water levels at the end of the summer. This can be seen in figure 1 in which the green line represents the flexible water level management. However, at the end of winter/early spring, the chance of flooding of unprotected areas increases due to the higher water levels in the IJsselmeer and Markermeer as a consequence of the flexible water level management. What kind of areas will become inundated and what is the function of these areas? How much will they be flooded? These kind of questions will be answered during my research and I want to define the consequences of the flexible water level management regarding flood risk of unprotected areas. Figure 1: Current and former water levels in the IJsselmeer.

Inundation of unprotected areas due to flexible water level management around the IJsselmeer and Markermeer

By: Lisa Goossens Since 2019 Rijkswaterstaat is applying a flexible water level management in the IJsselmeer and Markermeer. It offers the manager the opportunity to adjust for (extreme) weather conditions and the demand for drinking water. By maintaining an higher water level at the end of winter, an extra water buffer can be created of 390 million m3. During a dry summer the northern part of the Netherlands can be provided with fresh water from the buffer which can be used for agriculture, industry, drinking water and recreation. In addition, the water level will drop and rise in a more natural way with an higher water level in early spring and reaching lower water levels at the end of the summer. This can be seen in figure 1 in which the green line represents the flexible water level management. However, at the end of winter/early spring, the chance of flooding of unprotected areas increases due to the higher water levels in the IJsselmeer and Markermeer as a consequence of the flexible water level management. What kind of areas will become inundated and what is the function of these areas? How much will they be flooded? These kind of questions will be answered during my research and I want to define the consequences of the flexible water level management regarding flood risk of unprotected areas. Figure 1: Current and former water levels in the IJsselmeer.

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What trees teach us about sustainable production of materials

Trees are excellent teachers when it comes to making materials for load-bearing structures with as little resources and energy as possible. One of their secrets? When a tree grows, the direction of the wood grain adapts itself to fit the load that part of the tree is going to bear.

Exhale Sluitingsweek: A week of free events to say goodbye to Exhale and cosy up for Winter

De allerlaatste Exhale Week vindt plaats van 25 november tot 1 december en staat volledig in het teken van afscheid nemen van Exhale en het omarmen van de winter.

TIL student Laura Drechsel wins Q-Park thesis award

TIL student Laura Drechsel wins the 2024 Q-Park Student Award with her thesis called: Stories of Aging and Access - Exploring capabilities and challenges of accessibility for urban elderly through microstories. Her award-winning thesis can be found here .

TU Delft jointly wins XPRIZE Rainforest drone competition in Brazil

TU Delft jointly wins in the XPRIZE Rainforest competition in the Amazon, Brazil Imagine using rapid and autonomous robot technology for research into the green and humid lungs of our planet; our global rainforests. Drones that autonomously deploy eDNA samplers and canopy rafts uncover the rich biodiversity of these complex ecosystems while revealing the effects of human activity on nature and climate change. On November 15, 2024, after five years of intensive research and competition, the ETHBiodivX team, which included TU Delft Aerospace researchers Salua Hamaza and Georg Strunck, achieved an outstanding milestone: winning the XPRIZE Rainforest Bonus Prize for outstanding effort in co-developing inclusive technology for nature conservation. The goal: create automated technology and methods to gain near real-time insights about biodiversity – providing necessary data that can inform conservation action and policy, support sustainable bioeconomies, and empower Indigenous Peoples and local communities who are the primary protectors and knowledge holders of the planet’s tropical rainforests. The ETHBiodivX team, made of experts in Robotics, eDNA, and Data Insights, is tackling the massive challenge of automating and streamlining the way we monitor ecosystems. Leading the Robotics division, a collaboration between TU Delft’s Prof. Salua Hamaza, ETH Zurich’s Prof. Stefano Mintchev and Aarhus University’s Profs. Claus Melvad and Toke Thomas Høye, is developing cutting-edge robotic solutions to gather ecology and biology data autonomously. “We faced the immense challenge of deploying robots in the wild -- and not just any outdoor environment but one of the most demanding and uncharted: the wet rainforests. This required extraordinary efforts to ensure robustness and reliability, pushing the boundaries of what the hardware could achieve for autonomous data collection of images, sounds, and eDNA, in the Amazon” says prof. Hamaza. “Ultimately, this technology will be available to Indigenous communities as a tool to better understand the forest's ongoing changes in biodiversity, which provide essential resources as food and shelter to the locals.” . . . .

Moving the Closet

You simply cannot miss it, it is big and magenta: the Pink Closet . On 12 November 2024 the Pink Closet will head to the Main Hall of the TU Delft Library for the first time! The Pink Closet will take its place at the Nook, where it will feature as part of the Studium Generale programme on loneliness. More information on events that coincide with and incorporate the Pink Closet at TU Delft Library will soon be available on the website of Studium Generale .

Green ammonia remains a challenge, but researchers make significant progress

The production of ammonia, essential for fertiliser production, is responsible for almost 1.5% of global carbon emissions. This needs to be greener, which is why researchers have been looking for sustainable alternatives for years.

"Measuring brain activity through the skull with ultrasound opens new doors"

PhD Candidate Rick Waasdorp is looking for ways to correct the distortion caused by the skull when using Ultrasound technology. ‘’My goal is to develop an adaptive method for skull corrections that automatically measures the skull of new patients.’’

NWO funding for flexible power demand in electrically driven industry

NWO is funding two projects to explore ways to make the power demand of industry more flexible, allowing it to better align with future energy supplies. One of these projects, “DEFLAME,” is led by Machteld van den Broek from TU Delft.

Students Amos Yusuf, Mick Dam & Bas Brouwer winners of Mekel Prize 2024

Master students Amos Yusuf, from the ME faculty (Mick Dam, from the EEMCS faculty and graduate Bas Brouwer have won the Mekel Prize 2024 for the best extra scientific activity at TU Delft: the development of an initiative that brings master students into the classroom teaching sciences to the younger generations. The prize was ceremonially awarded by prof Tim van den Hagen on 13 November after the Van Hasselt Lecture at the Prinsenhof, Delft. They received a statue of Professor Jan Mekel and 1.500,- to spend on their project. Insights into climate change are being openly doubted. Funding for important educational efforts and research are being withdrawn. Short clips – so called “reels” – on Youtube and TikTok threaten to simplify complex political and social problems. AI fakes befuddle what is true and what is not. The voices of science that contribute to those discussion with modesty, careful argument and scepticism, are drowned in noise. This poses a threat for universities like TU Delft, who strive to increase student numbers, who benefit from diverse student populations and aim to pass on their knowledge and scientific virtues to the next generation. It is, therefore, alarming that student enrolments to Bachelor and Master Programs at TU Delft have declined in the past year. Students in front of the class The project is aimed to make the sciences more appealing to the next generation. They have identified the problem that students tend miss out on the opportunity of entering a higher education trajectory in the Beta sciences – because they have a wrong picture of such education. In their mind, they depict it as boring and dry. In his pilot lecture at the Stanislas VMBO in Delft, Amos Yusuf has successfully challenged this image. He shared his enthusiasm for the field of robotics and presented himself as a positive role model to the pupils. And in return the excitement of the high school students is palpable in the videos and pictures from the day. The spark of science fills their eyes. Bas Brouwer Mick Dam are the founders of NUVO – the platform that facilitates the engagement of Master Students in high school education in Delft Their efforts offer TU Delft Master Students a valuable learning moment: By sharing insights from their fields with pupils at high school in an educational setting, our students can find identify their own misunderstandings of their subject, learn to speak in front of non-scientific audiences and peak into education as a work field they themselves might not have considered. An extraordinary commitment According to the Mekel jury, the project scored well on all the criteria (risk mitigation, inclusiveness, transparency and societal relevance). However, it was the extraordinary commitment of Amos who was fully immersed during his Master Project and the efforts of Brouwer and Dam that brought together teaching and research which is integral to academic culture that made the project stand out. About the Mekel Prize The Mekel Prize will be awarded to the most socially responsible research project or extra-scientific activity (e.g. founding of an NGO or organization, an initiative or realization of an event or other impactful project) by an employee or group of employees of TU Delft – projects that showcase in an outstanding fashion that they have been committed from the beginning to relevant moral and societal values and have been aware of and tried to mitigate as much as possible in innovative ways the risks involved in their research. The award recognizes such efforts and wants to encourage the responsible development of science and technology at TU Delft in the future. For furthermore information About the project: https://www.de-nuvo.nl/video-robotica-pilot/ About the Mekel Prize: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/tpm/our-faculty/departments/values-technology-and-innovation/sections/ethics-philosophy-of-technology/mekel-prize

The ENHANCE Diversity Seed Fund

Are you a student at TU Delft or another ENHANCE university with a passion for promoting diversity and inclusion? The ENHANCE Diversity Seed Fund is your chance to turn that passion into action. ENHANCE provides funding to support innovative, student-led projects that address key challenges related to inclusion and diversity within our academic communities. Key Details: Funding Available: Up to 1500 Euros per project in the 1st round! Eligibility: Students from ENHANCE member universities. Staff can also join student-led initiatives. Application Deadline: 8 January 2025. More information: Join the online Information Event on the 26 November 2024 16:00-17:00 CET on Zoom . More information: enhanceuniversity.eu/diversity/diversityseedfund/

New catheter technology promises safer and more efficient treatment of blood vessels

Each year, more than 200 million catheters are used worldwide to treat vascular diseases, including heart disease and artery stenosis. When navigating into blood vessels, friction between the catheter and the vessel wall can cause major complications. With a new innovative catheter technology, Mostafa Atalla and colleagues can change the friction from having grip to completely slippery with the flick of a switch. Their design improves the safety and efficiency of endovascular procedures. The findings have been published in IEEE. Catheter with variable friction The prototype of the new catheter features advanced friction control modules to precisely control the friction between the catheter and the vessel wall. The friction is modulated via ultrasonic vibrations, which overpressure the thin fluid layer. This innovative variable friction technology makes it possible to switch between low friction for smooth navigation through the vessel and high friction for optimal stability during the procedure. In a proof-of-concept, Atalla and his team show that the prototype significantly reduces friction, averaging 60% on rigid surfaces and 11% on soft surfaces. Experiments on animal aortic tissue confirm the promising results of this technology and its potential for medical applications. Fully assembled catheters The researchers tested the prototype during friction experiments on different tissue types. They are also investigating how the technology can be applied to other procedures, such as bowel interventions. More information Publicatie DOI : 10.1109/TMRB.2024.3464672 Toward Variable-Friction Catheters Using Ultrasonic Lubrication | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore Mostafa Atalla: m.a.a.atalla@tudelft.nl Aimee Sakes: a.sakes@tudelft.nl Michaël Wiertlewski: m.wiertlewski@tudelft.nl Would you like to know more and/or attend a demonstration of the prototype please contact me: Fien Bosman, press officer Health TU Delft: f.j.bosman@tudelft.nl/ 0624953733

Design and imagination as essential tools during the climate crisis

In Nature Partner Journals, ten researchers advocate the use of imagination in tackling the climate crisis. They focus specifically on urbanising river deltas, which are of great social and economic importance and highly vulnerable to climate change. "We scientists should not merely outline doomsday scenarios," says Professor Chris Zevenbergen. "Create a vision for people to believe in and work towards.”

Inaugural address: machine optimisation key to more efficient logistics system

The processing and transport of materials can be made much more efficient, says TU Delft professor Dingena Schott in her inaugural address, ‘Advancing Transport and Processing: from Model to Impact’. She will deliver her address on 15 November. Her research focuses on the interaction between machines and materials, with a special emphasis on granular materials.

FAST University Fund invites all TU Delft students

FAST University Fund invites all TU Delft students to apply for the Ambitious Project Grant or the Event Grant of up to €15.000!

Education demonstration in Utrecht cancelled

Safety cannot be guaranteed In our post of 22 October , we announced that students and staff of TU Delft will have the opportunity to take part in protests against the cabinet's plans to cut higher education. Today it has been announced that the demonstration against the cuts to higher education and science on 14 November in Utrecht has been cancelled because the safety of the demonstrators cannot be guaranteed. Read the reaction of Universiteiten van Nederland to the cancellation of the education demonstration in Utrecht (Dutch only).

Young Investigator Award for Gabrielle Laloy-Borgna

Gabrielle has won the technical Young Investigator Award at Euroson 2024 (congress of the European Federation of Ultrasound Societies in Medicine and Biology) with her presentation entitled: “Ultrasound imaging in bones: tissue characterization, anatomical images
and blood flow measurements”.

Ilaria Orsi joined ImPhys as PhD student

Ilaria started her PhD program in the Renaud group about ultrasound imaging inside bones, contributing to the advancement of such non-invasive technique to characterize tissue composition and to quantify blood flow.

First prize for ZhenZhen Wu at the 2024 NWO Biophysics poster awards

ZhenZhen Wu's poster, “Absolute Voltage Imaging in Developing Zebrafish,” won first prize in the 2024 NWO Biophysics poster awards, competing against over 150 posters. The BioPM Poster Prizes are awarded to the best posters presented at the NWO Biophysics Conference, and the winners are selected by a jury. ZhenZhen Wu z.wu-3@tudelft.nl

Enrolment for new courses open on 13 November

The new courses will start from Monday 18 November. Enrolment for these starts from Wednesday 13 November at 08.00! In the second quarter, a new series of courses awaits you. You can find out more on the website. Maybe you already know that you want to attend your favourite course again or maybe you want to discover and try something new; it's all possible. The enrolment moment for the course depends on the day the course takes place. At 08:00 enrolments for Monday's courses open, at 10:00 for Tuesday's courses, at 12:00 for Wednesday's courses, at 14:00 for Thursday's courses and at 16:00 for courses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Enrolments go fast Enrolment for our courses always runs fast, so don't wait too long or be surprised by a course where spots are still available! Enrolment closes Enrolment closes on Friday 22 November at 16.00.

Contributions of SPTL at the CVS Congress (21-22 November, Utrecht)

On November 21 and 22, the 51st edition of the CVS congress is held in the Railway museum in Utrecht. Members of the Smart Public Transport Lab contribute to the following sessions: Knus in de bus op dinsdag; zijn alle werkdagen nog wel hetzelfde? Thursday, November 21, 16:00-17:30 Julia Bickel, Maxim Meijers and Niels van Oort [abstract] Stedelijkheidsgraden in transportmodellen: Een analyse over de impact van de ruimtelijke omgeving op reisgedrag Thursday, November 21, 16:00-17:30 Janine Grauss, Justin Hogenberg and Niels van Oort [abstract] Van en naar het treinstation: Voorkeuren van reizigers voor gedeelde elektrische micromobiliteit Friday, November 22, 11:30-13:00 Nejc Geržinič, Mark van Hagen, Dorine Duives and Niels van Oort [ abstract ] Gamen maakt de toekomst – Serious gamen voor een optimale mobiliteitsmix Friday, November 22, 11:30-13:00 Tessa Leferink, Niels van Oort and Sander Lenferink [abstract] De verkenning van de potentie van fietsparkeren bij het ov: een casus in Den Haag Madeline Lai, Dorine Duives, Stefan Talen, Nejc Geržinič and Niels van Oort Friday, November 22, 14:00-15:30 [abstract]