Research & Projects

Improving the reliability of flood defense systems by a better understanding of their failure mechanisms

The SAFElevee project was awarded to our section (Prof. Jonkman) in December 2014 and will be started in 2015 (see proposal).

Selected assignments

Through his work at Deltares (formerly GeoDelft), among others, he was involved in the following relevant research and consultancy projects:

  • SAFElevee: levee failure database and back-analysis of levee failures and breaches (2013-ongoing)
  • Calibration of partial safety factors for internal erosion and slope stability (WTI, 2013-ongoing)
  • TU Delft fact finding mission to Germany (investigation of levee failures, 2013)
  • ENW-RWS fact finding mission to Thailand (investigation of levee failures, 2012)
  • Development of safety assessment methods for Dutch levees (SBW, since 2010-2012)
  • ENW commissie piping (secretary of an expert group advising the Dutch Ministry of Public works on the issue of piping and its importance for the Dutch flood defense system, 2010)
  • Feasibility study multi-functional flood defence in Katwijk (2009)
  • FP7 proposal coordination FloodProBE (proposal for a research project for the European Commission, coordinator of a consortium of 10 partners from 6 countries)
  • Remote Sensing for the assessment/inspection of regional flood defences (FloodControl 2015 project, 2008)
  • Effects of (River) system behavior on flood risk (Delft Cluster, 2007)
  • Flow slide (static liquefaction) reliability assessment GATE-terminal, Port of Rotterdam (2007)