Bio
Dr. Slavco Velickov is a Water Industry Sales Director at Bentley Systems Europe based in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. He heads up a team of professionals that deliver Bentley’s Water Solution in the EMEA region.He is a chartered hydraulic engineer and has over 19 years experience in the water utility industry in all phases of infrastructure project development, financing and implementation. He has worked on more than 100 projects internationally: clean water and wastewater projects, hydrodynamic and hydrological studies, industrial process plants and facilities, and renewable energy projects.

Abstract
Improving Efficiency of Water Utilities: Practical Examples
The presentation will feature examples of how engineers from public and private water utilities companies including the consulting ecosystem are currently dealing with reducing water losses and energy consumption, demand management, and other efficiency-related topics. The first part of the presentation will address the efficiency trends in the water utilities industry, followed up by a brief description of the Bentley geospatial and hydraulic modeling and management water solutions addressing these key efficiency topics. Finally, practical examples of case studies (from Europe and the Middle East), regarding asset information management, active leakage management, complex pumping scheduling optimization and demand forecasting will be presented outlining the ROI and the data requirements aspects of these solutions.

Bio
Michael Laitta’s career has primarily focused on the development and implementation of seamless, high resolution national datasets. In 2004, Mr. Laitta joined the International Joint Commission of Canada and the US- a treaty organization that assists the governments of Canada and the US with the management and protection of shared water resources- as the first bi-national Geographic Information Systems Coordinator where he has the responsibility for developing and implementing a bi-national, interagency protocol for the creation of seamless hydrographic and geospatial datasets between two nations. Notably Mr. Laitta leads a bi-national technical task force comprised of Canadian and US natural resource professionals whose recommendations have changed the manner in which Canada and the U.S. exchange, serve and maintain shared GIS resources

Abstract
International Joint Commission Canada-US (Project 1594)
The International Joint Commission, in coordination with Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, U.S. Geological Survey, Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada has made unprecedented progress with the harmonization of the shared fundamental hydrographic datasets along the Canadian-U.S. interface. Phase I and II of this effort; the alignment and editing of sub drainage areas within the major Trans-boundary Basins and the first pass connection of the fundamental hydrographic layers is complete. In 2012, this effort will focus on the delineation and refinement of smaller drainage units within these now harmonized sub drainage areas as well as the development of bi national water quality and quantity applications. This presentation will touch upon the basic technical methods employed to facilitate the negotiation of bi national delineations, impacts to the federal stewarding agencies, and potential opportunities for sustainable regional based hydrologic applications. This bi-national, multi-agency approach to spatial data creation, sharing and maintenance is an unprecedented step forward towards the development of truly seamless and interoperable bi-national data resources.

Bio
Warwick McDonald’s career has primarily focused on implementing high quality research partnerships and managing for research and information delivery excellence. In March 2011 Warwick joined the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to head up the Environmental Information Services Branch where he has responsibility for developing and implementing the National Plan for Environmental Information – an Australian Government initiative to improve the quality and coverage of Australia’s environmental information. Notably Warwick joined Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 2008 as the Water Information Research and Development Alliance Director, having formerly been the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship’s inaugural Science Director (2002-2004).

Abstract
Water Information and Environmental Intelligence
For more than a century, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has been capturing, storing and analysing environmental observations – encompassing land, water, oceans, air and space – and providing Australians with the information they need to manage and live within their natural environment. In the face of rapid population growth and extensive human-induced changes in our ecosystems, it is becoming essential that environmental observations and models are used to provide ‘environmental intelligence’ which directly informs and guides decisions and actions by government, businesses and individuals. Hence the Bureau of Meteorology is transforming its role to become the provider of environmental intelligence that will ensure the safety, sustainability, wellbeing and prosperity of all Australians. This presentation will outline the challenges, experiences and solutions for harmonising the nation’s water information within a geospatial framework, including the critical role of standards and evolvable information systems to help account for and determine the changes in the availability of Australia’s water resources.

Bio
Cartographer and Professional Geo-information Science Practitioner at the Department of Water Affairs, South Africa; Chief Directorate: Water Resource Information Management; Directorate: Spatial and Land Information Management.

Abstract
Mapping of Resource Water Quality Objectives in the Department of Water Affairs, South Africa
In South Africa water is a scarce and unevenly distributed national resource. It is the responsibility of the Department of Water Affairs to ensure the sustainable use and protection of water quality for the benefit of all users. Remote sensing, GIS and cartography play an important role in the integrated spatial management of water resources. The quantity, quality and reliability of water must achieve optimum long term environmentally sustainable socio-economic benefit for South African society, as well as neighbouring countries of shared river systems. This presentation focuses on the mapping of water quality according to Resource Water Quality Objectives (RWQO’s). Information from various sources, especially the Water Management System (WMS), is processed, analysed and verified utilising scientific techniques. RWQO maps enable managers to visualise the status of water quality against predefined objectives. In association with this remote sensing and GIS tools play an important role in the siting of RWQO points, deciding on the level of protection that should be afforded, analysing possible causes of non-compliance and determining remediation requirements.

Bio
Ruud Grim is senior advisor at Netherlands Space Office since 2005. In his position he is actively engaged with user communities, internationally acting organizations and Dutch applications service providers and research institutes. He is the principal focal point of the Netherlands for the Group on Earth Observations and has an advisory position with respect to ESA Earth Observation Programme Board from a user perspective. He is active member of the Netherlands Cooperation on Water & Climate Services. Ruud Grim holds a Ph.D. position in Physics and has worked in industry for 15 years in project management and business development.

Abstract
Water and Satellites and Have No Boundaries
Water is essential to society and nature. The climate is changing however. Long periods without rain can ruin crops and affect other functions that rely on a fresh water supply. Extreme rainfall can also cause dangerous floods. Every year hundreds of thousands of people are affected by water-related disasters. The Dutch water, food, space and geo-information sectors have joined forces to help countries deal with these climate-related problems. To minimise the effects of drought and flood in order to promote a safe living environment, the first step is to create an effective data infrastructure. Yet most countries do not have an extensive monitoring network. And it usually requires large-scale investments to set up an effective data infrastructure. A recent Dutch initiative, the Netherlands Cooperation on Water and Climate Services, aims to find solutions to this data scarcity problem using remote sensing as innovative monitor and map technology. Spatial thematic information will be integrated in hydrological/agricultural models and GIS to create specific information services. The Dutch cooperation started in 2011 and is now active is various countries. The cooperation is presented and project examples will be shown.

Bio
Born July 1st 1970, Wouter grew up with a passion for technology and bridging gaps between supposedly conflicting domains. In 1994 he graduated from Delft University of Technology with his Master’s in Industrial Design Engineering. Having been taught the theory of how to match Technology to meet Business Requirements, he quickly grew from Product Developer to Product Manager and Strategic Project Manager. He extended his scope and learned more about the n-dimensional puzzling of matching current and future in business user needs to current and future technology solutions. Working at Ideas to Interconnect, he is currently helping Evides Waterbedrijf in successfully implementing a new application architecture.

Abstract
The presentation will explain the way Autocad Map3D fits in the new application architecture of Evides Waterbedrijf. This new application architecture is realised in the ‘Waterkracht’ programme. The presentation will consist of a few short topics for setting the scene. Followed by the more in-depth topics of fitting Autocad Map3D and the Utility Design module into the application architecture. The roundup will share the challenges and key success factors in the programme.

Bio
René van der Velden graduated in 1995 from Delft University of Technology with his Master degree in Geodetic Engineering. After having worked as manager and consultant on several geo-information related topics he now is manager spatial information for Het Waterschapshuis. Het Waterschapshuis aims to promote cooperation in the field of data and ICT between the water boards and other authorities operating in the water sector. René is responsible for the governmental program AHN (national elevation model of the Netherlands) and the central governmental program for aerial photography.

Abstract
Watermanagement to the next level, powered by spatial information.
More than 80% of the population lives in delta’s and about 40% of the Netherlands lies below sea level. Our national airport Schiphol is over 4 meters below sea level. Proper management of the water and our defenses is crucial. The need for spatial data is evident. Even more important is the transformation of these massive datasets into immediately usable information. The Netherlands have become a leader in developing new unique data sets (airborne data, sensor data, imagery, satellite data). The challenge is to exploit its full potential and to combine these datasets in a smart way. This leads to better decision making, strategy and policy and costs savings. The presentation gives an overview and presents the challenges which come along.

Abstract
Impact of a Pipe Burst on the Surrounding Area – Integrating GIS and Hydraulic Modelling in a Risk Based Approach Pipe bursts can result in unwanted effects. Pipe bursts typically result in a deficient supply in terms of quantity and pressure or the introduction of pollutants. In January 2004 an incident took place in the Netherlands where a dike of a main transportation canal was leaking and almost collapsed. Leakage stopped after closing valves in a water main. This incident raised the awareness of the risks of pipe bursts to third parties (or so-called external effects). The Dutch drinking water branch initiated an inventory of water mains at risky locations and prepared to take corrective measures if deemed necessary. Pipe bursts can for example cause pits in the street surrounding the pipes, associated remediation costs, and the potential for damage to the public image of the water company. Managing risks in water supply networks requires an understanding of the risks of pipe bursts related to both the drinking water supply and the surrounding area. KWR has established a method to realistically quantify the effects of pipe leakage on the surrounding area. The analysis involves a combination of hydraulic modelling and risk analysis of the distribution network using GIS. A case study shows that using a hydraulic network solver leads to a smaller estimation of the area affected by a pipe burst compared to earlier calculation methods. Combining the results within GIS resulted in fewer mains requiring full risk consideration. This illustrates that the combination of GIS with other analytical tools can provide valuable information for the management regime of water supply networks.

Bio
Manager of GIS Directorate for Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority has worked in GIS for more than 10 years. He has an avid interest in GIS and enjoys the analytical aspects and challenges of this technology. He holds an Electrical Engineer Certificate from UAEUniversity in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. He was elected president of the ESRI Middle-East And Africa Utility User Group for year 2011. Elected as President of ESRI Utilities Users Group for Middle East and Africa