About us

3Di is state-of-the-art hydrodynamic simulation software for pluvial, fluvial and coastal floods. 3Di is applied in both urban and rural areas around the world. Unique about 3Di is the combination of fast simulations, interactive modelling, detail of the schematisation and the advanced capabilities to model hydrodynamic processes.

How 3Di started

3Di has been developed by a consortium consisting of Nelen & Schuurmans, Deltares, TU Delft EWI (prof Elmar Eisemann) and Stelling Hydraulics (em. prof. Guus Stelling). 3Di has been built from the ground up in order to fully integrate overland flow, channel flow, groundwater and urban drainage in one single engine. It provides a fully dynamic solution to the complete nonlinear De Saint Venant equations in 2D and 1D flow. The computations are extremely fast and therefore allow for interactive modelling on a touch-table and iPad. The 3Di user interface enables specialist but also decision makers and civilians to visualize the impact of the proposed measures in various climate scenarios.

A 3Di model can consist of the following data layers:

Raster Terrain (floods and rainfall runoff)
Raster Soil (soil moisture and groundwater)
1D open water (canal systems)
1D sewer network (sewerage)

Waterschap Vallei en Veluwe, Waternet, Provincie Zeeland, Waterschap Noorderzijlvest, Wetterskip Fryslan, Provincie Noord-Holland, Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland, Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and OAS De Grote Lucht were among the supporting customers and users. Factors leading to the development of 3Di include the availability of high-resolution DEM, scientific research resulting in the sub-grid methodology and the rise of cloud computing.