Water transfer workshop hoferLand.digital

Package of measures 1: Task and situation analysis in the municipalities

The central methodological basis is the multi-level analysis developed by Hof University of Applied Sciences, which is used to identify the current task situation, existing plans, "anyway potential" and possible sponge measures in each of the 27 municipalities. The results are digitised, evaluated using a web-based analysis tool and jointly prioritised; based on this, possible action plans and implementation concepts are developed. In a meta-analysis, interfaces, synergies and overarching potential measures are worked out for all 27 municipalities in order to identify and implement the potential for joint projects.

Package of measures 2: Concrete implementation projects

1. Digital consolidation of drinking water demand and water supply of all municipalities in a central data platform is intended to create a district-wide overview of availability, utilisation and bottlenecks for the first time - an essential basis for decision-making in view of increasing dry periods, falling groundwater levels and growing consumption. The platform integrates local measured values, publicly available data sets and enables analyses and forecasts for potential critical situations.
2. Extraneous water problem
   Groundwater, spring water and surface water that enters wastewater systems via leaks causes incorrect loads, costs and efficiency losses in wastewater treatment plants. The project systematically records existing investigations, supplements missing analyses, consolidates the results in a common data structure and derives comparable remediation and optimisation strategies in order to achieve synergies, cost benefits and accelerated implementation.
3. Digital recording of water-related soil characteristics
   Water-related soil data is digitally recorded in selected forest areas. This is intended to strengthen climate-resilient agriculture and forestry management. Local sensor networks, remote sensing by drone and satellite as well as laboratory analyses will be combined to enable spatially differentiated monitoring of the water balance and data-based planning of measures ranging from irrigation control to targeted infiltration for flood mitigation. The "BodenRadar" system co-developed at inwa is being adapted for this purpose, linked with IoT sensor technology and trialled in use.
4. Solution database sponge region Hofer Land
   With a view to the transformation to the Hofer Land sponge region, a district-wide solution database is being created that systematically records technical, nature-based and organisational sponge measures, provides evaluation information and is intended to serve as a planning and learning resource for local authorities. The aim is to create a reliable database that can be incorporated into analyses and make concrete implementation paths visible.
5. Virtual operational assistance for water management systems
   The complexity of water management infrastructure and scarce human resources calls for intelligent assistance: an AI-based support bot, using the open source LLM "Lisa" from Hof University of Applied Sciences, is designed to support operating personnel and planners in troubleshooting, maintenance decisions, document access, training and lateral entry. Generative AI can be used to accelerate fault diagnosis, provide contextual knowledge, optimise maintenance cycles and individualise learning processes.
6. Counselling centre Competence and transfer centre sustainable sponge city/region (ktns)
   In order to consolidate the development of knowledge, an advisory and contact point has been set up specifically for the 27 municipalities at the Competence and Transfer Centre for Sustainable Sponge City/Region (ktns) at the Institute for Sustainable Water Systems at Hof University of Applied Sciences. In addition to further training opportunities, the offer includes project-related coaching, special advisory support before the start of planning (so-called "Phase 0") or funding support.