Goslar’s geography makes it particularly susceptible to heavy rainfall events and this historical town has been hit by severe flooding on several occasions, such as in 2017. It is no surprise, therefore, that a research project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) turned its focus on Goslar in 2022. The goal of the project: to improve the way extreme weather events are managed and ensure the findings are useful for other regions. This project was successfully completed just recently and shows the pioneering role that REMONDIS Aqua plays when it comes to deploying sensors, software and artificial intelligence (AI).
The EXDIMUM research project (‘Extreme weather management with digital multiscale methods’) was carried out by a consortium of seven partners led by the TU Braunschweig between February 2022 and August 2025. Its objective was to gather data using AI-assisted measuring methods to enable reliable forecasts for particularly vulnerable regions in order to protect lives and property. Goslar was the perfect candidate for this research work as it is surrounded by the Harz mountains on three sides and open to the north. A situation that causes low-pressure systems heading from the north-west towards the north of Germany to slow down and makes it difficult for them to move on.
The project partners EURAWASSER and REMONDIS Aqua Industrie (both fully owned subsidiaries of REMONDIS Aqua) helped to put the project’s theory into practice. EURAWASSER is in charge of operating the public drainage and flood protection systems in Goslar. Data was collected in the town as part of this research project. This work clearly showed that the choice of location for the various wireless sensors – which transmit real-time data on water, rainfall and soil moisture levels – was crucial for the quality of the data recorded. According to the project’s findings, therefore, this should be an integral part of the planning work in future projects.
Furthermore, the flexibility of the browser-based IT platform proved to be key for ensuring that the heterogeneous user groups (from the fire brigade, to technical emergency services and forestry offices, through to private landowners and the many other potential groups) could be integrated without interface issues. This flexibility is a must if the system is to be expanded in the future and new technical developments are to be integrated with minimal effort.
By combining sensors and hydrological models, these three years of research work have resulted in the development of intelligent ways to record water levels and volumes of wastewater in real time as well as to evaluate the resulting risk to humans and infrastructure. Integrating AI components proved to be particularly efficient: they showed which opportunities can be opened up by automating complex evaluation processes so that the results are available almost in real time. The project partners have recommended that this great potential should be further investigated in follow-up projects.
The first successful test occurred on 22 May 2023. Over 80mm of rain fell on Goslar in just one hour. The recorded data clearly showed where there would be problems in the drainage systems. And that the Abzucht, a stream passing through Goslar, would not break its banks. There was no danger, therefore, of there being a repetition of the 2017 floods.
All in all, the EXDIMUM project has shown that the combination of smart sensors, a scientifically based prediction model and the use of AI is a valuable tool for dealing with heavy rainfall events. REMONDIS Aqua and its subsidiary EURAWASSER will make it possible for other local authorities and customers to benefit from the know-how gained and the scientists will continue to drive forward the use of AI.
Find out more about heavy rainfall events and the intelligent ways REMONDIS Aqua handles these:
Image credits: image 1: Adobe Stock: Chris; image 2, 3, 4: © REMONDIS; image 5: Adobe Stock: Chudik, © REMONDIS; image 6: © U. Mertens
