At the SmarterCities forum today in Berlin, the city of Rotterdam, one of the main hubs of the Dutch economy and the largest port in Europe, announced a collaboration with IBM to design and test a monitoring and forecasting system for smarter management of water and energy. The advanced information integration system will bring together multiple data streams from currently unrelated sources in the region, rivers and estuary to provide an overview of current and developing conditions.

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With this collaboration with IBM, Rotterdam aims to transform into the first Smart Delta City -- a city that utilizes real-world, real-time operational information to manage infrastructure and operations related to the effects of climate change in a dynamic, complex natural water system. The Smart Delta system's information portal will enable officials and professionals to more quickly and effectively respond to concerns such as flood and drought threats, safety or accessibility issues, and changes in water conditions that could harm fish and other aquatic life.

"We are committed to reducing carbon dioxide by 50 percent and reaching a climate adaptive situation while also strengthening our region's economic condition by 2025," said Paula Verhoeven, Rotterdam Climate Office Director. "To reach these goals, we have defined a holistic approach to climate change and water management, considering economic and spatial planning factors in the decision-making process. This collaboration is important to help Rotterdam evolve to a Smart Delta City."

As part of the collaboration, IBM intends to leverage the expertise of its Research arm, involving scientists across a broad spectrum of disciplines to explore additional areas such as the management of carbon in logistics processes.

Together with leading people from academia, industry and government, IBM has engaged over the past two years in projects worldwide to identify current and future impact on operations from changing water availability, accessibility, quality and quantities. In February 2008, IBM opened the Global Center of Excellence for Water Management in the Netherlands.

"Governments and companies that don't understand how climate changes will impact their operations will increasingly find themselves at a disadvantage," said Sharon Nunes, Vice President, Big Green Innovations, IBM. "Over the next few years, the business impact of either too-much or too-little water will be devastating in many parts of the world. The Smart Delta City initiative addresses the need to start thinking and acting in new ways to make our systems more efficient, productive and responsive."

For additional resources for press on today's news, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/press/smartercities.

For more information on IBM, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/.

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SOURCE: IBM