What does it take to develop software for one of the world’s most iconic flood defence structures? This question was at the heart of the presentation on the Rijkswaterstaat STORM_SAFE pilot project, which focuses on the Maeslant Barrier's control system.
The presentation focused on the locomobile, the distinctive red structure atop the barrier that controls the horizontal movement of the massive gates. It is a critical component, driven by complex hydraulics and its own control software. Given its role, reliability is not an abstract ambition, but a strict prerequisite.
Within the pilot, researchers are exploring how formal methods can demonstrate this reliability. By modelling and analysing the system using CIF/ESCET and mCRL2, greater insight is gained into the design and underlying documentation. Assumptions are made explicit, inconsistencies surface earlier and system behaviour becomes verifiable.
The presentation demonstrated that this approach goes well beyond theory. Control code is already being automatically generated from the models and tested on a digital twin of the Maeslant Barrier. The project has now entered its final phase, in which an external contractor will develop a complete control system based on the validated models. Thus, the STORM_SAFE pilot is a tangible step towards more robust software for critical water infrastructure, not just an experiment.
Wendy Clerx en Mark Bouwman
Rijkswaterstaat
