DHI

DHI Annual Report 2017​

Join us in digitalising the water world

‘The CloudBridge strategy is a transformational journey. Transformation of technology, of business model and of user experience. I am convinced that digitalisation will allow us to unlock the tremendous potential of optimising our water systems 24/7 in real-time … ’

Antoine Labrosse, CEO

Digital operational services

Technology frees us from traditional business boundaries and allows us to foster new kinds of customer relationships. Being simultaneous and in-the-cloud, the digital operational services we offer are transverse, accessible and seamless – translating to smarter business management for our clients all over the world.

Read our customer stories:

Digital water platform for Gothenburg, Sweden

The city of Gothenburg is threatened by rising sea levels and increased rainfall. This is a growing concern due to extensive expansion close to the river. We delivered a digital information platform, which includes automatic forecasting and model predictive control of the city’s huge waste water tunnel system. This solution directly reduced spills of untreated wastewater by 50%. This is a crucial step to meet recreational demands on the river, and a big step towards the vision: ‘The world’s best city when it rains’.

Neural network forecasting of water levels in Venice, Italy

Venice Water Authority through Consorzio Venezia Nuova (CVN) is responsible for operating the gates to safeguard Venice from storm surge flooding. DHI has been providing operational water level forecasts for CVN for more than 20 years. This year, we improved the system further using a machine learning model consisting of a neural network trained against 35 years of historical water levels, wind measurements and meteorological model data. This improvement is extremely valuable for the client who needs to know when to open and close the gates to protect Venice from flooding, and at the same time, disturb marine traffic as little as possible.

Satellite-derived water depths for Brisbane, Australia

The Port of Brisbane is one of Australia´s fastest growing container ports and is responsible for maintaining navigable access for commercial shipping. However, variations in waves and water levels in the channel cause sand features to change rapidly. Instead of relying on routine surveys which are expensive, time-consuming and inconsistent, port authorities decided to use DHI’s satellite-derived water depth mapping – saving time and money while ensuring safe passage for ships at all times.

Change is rapid

In the seconds you have spent on this page…

m3

of water would have been lost in major cities globally
tonnes
of goods would have been loaded and unloaded in shipping ports worldwide
US$
of economic losses would have been sustained due to weather-related disasters, including floods

Source: United Nations

It can be tough to wrap our heads around these fast-moving numbers. Indeed, the world is evolving at an incredible pace. That is why providing timely and reliable digital solutions is crucial in helping our clients manage their daily operational challenges.

In 2017, we started planning our move into the operational space with a new business offering: OPX. Through OPX – which stands for Operational Excellence – we aim to take a holistic approach of delivering world-class operational performance through digital services. The first such unit we have created is SeaPort OPX, which offers an award-winning digital operational service called NCOS Online – for managing ship traffic in major ports around the world.

‘NCOS Online has been a game-changer for the Port of Brisbane. By boosting the Port’s capacity to handle larger vessels without compromising safety, we have added value to our customers and maximised efficiency for all port users.’

Roy Cummins
Chief Executive Officer, Port of Brisbane

Innovation and customer centricity

Innovation is in our DNA. And as they say, the only constant is change. Why do we innovate? Because a great idea that translates into a great product makes things easier for our clients. Through design thinking and continuous dialogue with customers, we unlock straightforward, consumer-friendly solutions for the world’s toughest water challenges.

Q: How will a strong focus on innovation answer our clients’ needs successfully?

A: ‘Great innovation always begins with the customer in mind. It is about coming up with new solutions that add value from their perspective. Strong innovators are better at applying customer-centric processes faster to launch relevant and profitable solutions for their customers. Working closely together to evaluate and test outcomes is part of a successful innovation process – one that will generate win for both the customer and the company.’
Flemming van Heugten
Flemming van HeugtenGroup Innovation Manager

Q: What is the role of design thinking in solving our customers’ challenges?

A: ‘Design thinking shows us how to create value for our customers, by understanding what they need, how they think, and how they behave – and by using that knowledge to guide decisions throughout the process. A design thinking process involves both imagination and analysis; it uses the designer’s methods and mindset together with the possibilities of technology, creating the perfect recipe for business success.’
Jesper Berg Sørensen
Jesper Berg SørensenGroup Digital Design Manager

Q: How do we ensure that we exceed customer expectations every time?

A: ‘We do so by placing our clients at the centre of the projects and helping them identify their stated and unstated needs. This is achieved through a customer centric approach where dialogue and communication is key. In addition, we implement our solutions with agility, tweaking and adapting to the customer as we go along to attain the best outcome. This is especially true when providing operational services. Constant interaction helps us understand their needs even after the solution is operational.’
Valérie Banneville
Valérie BannevilleManaging Director, DHI France

Building solutions in the cloud

Providing solutions in a Cloud-based environment has been a continuing goal at DHI – so that our clients will have access to what they need whenever they want. In the works is a Cloud mesh and model builder that allows generation of 2D quality meshes for flood, coastal and marine environments. Combined with machine learning support, automatic mesh generation is now a reality. Looking forward to revealing more of our intelligent Cloud solutions in 2018!

More about the new mesh generator:

Supports Flooding, Coastal and Marine numerical modelling applications

Machine Learning support and automation power

Works with your data
in-the-Cloud

Online visualisation of geometric data and
2D/3D meshes

Needs only an internet browser on LAN, WIFI
and 4G

Multiple concurrent users

Digital Data Portals

To address the needs of the community, we launched two digital data portals into the market last year. More innovative solutions are undergoing development in 2018.

Bathymetrics Data Portal

The first dedicated commercial bathymetry portal of its kind, The Bathymetrics Data Portal allows users to search, purchase and download the best available water depth information directly from the online store to their computer. The portal is a result of a partnership between DHI, TCarta and DigitalGlobe.

Learn more

MetOcean Data Portal

Providing instant global data and analytics, the MetOcean Data Portal allows users to download and validate nearly 40 years of Metocean data, including wind, wave, water level and current data – faster than ever before.

Learn more

Thanks for another great year

Extending the boundaries of water knowledge and applying our technology to solve real-life problems are the beliefs we strongly hold on to at DHI. In 2018 and beyond, we look forward to helping you build and scale your business using a holistic approach across various water environments. Want to get more insight? Tap into the heads of our people through the DHI blog, read about our global projects, and see how we performed in 2017.

DHI Blog: The Reservoir

Our global projects

Our financial report