Integrated Hydraulic Analysis and Data Management Tool for Water Supply Systems in Developing Countries

In developing countries hydraulic models of water distribution systems are rarely used efficiently. The lack of appropriate know-how is one reason. Further, water distribution networks are dynamic technical systems changing rapidly due to maintenance works and network extensions. Therefore, the foundation for all technical tasks to assure a sustainable water supply is the deep going knowledge of the system. In developing countries the available system data is usually not up to date and of poor quality due to missing appropriate data management concepts. Integrating the data management and the hydraulic model as well as adapting the resulting tool to local constraints remedies the challenges resulting from the situation described above. Furthermore, linking the necessary work-flow of data collection to the tool eases the model implementation as well as the subsequent database update. In this paper a novel integrated data management and hydraulic analysis tool for water supply networks and linked work-flows specifically tailored towards its application in developing countries is presented. Based on a project of the German-Algerian technical cooperation in Béni Abbès the application of the tool is demonstrated.