Modeling earthen dikes using real-time sensor data

The paper describes the concept and implementation details of integrating a finite element module for dike stability analysis “Virtual Dike” into an early warning system for flood protection. The module operates in real-time mode and includes fluid and structural sub-models for simulation of porous flow through the dike and for dike stability analysis. Real-time measurements obtained from pore pressure sensors are fed into the simulation module, to be compared with simulated pore pressure dynamics. Implementation of the module has been performed for a real-world test case, an earthen levee protecting a sea-port in Groningen, The Netherlands. Sensitivity analysis and calibration of diffusivities have been performed based on pore pressure sensor data during tidal fluctuations. An algorithm for automatic diffusivities calibration for a heterogeneous dike is proposed and studied. Analytical solutions describing tidal propagation in a one-dimensional saturated aquifer are employed in the algorithm to generate initial estimates of diffusivities.