Recent advancements in digital and instrumentation technologies offer the potential to improve inspection and monitoring services, enhance system reliability, and support Operations and Maintenance (O&M) teams with earlier identification of issues in dam and flood infrastructure. Across the industry, there is growing momentum to integrate solutions such as instrumentation and monitoring systems, real-time data collection, analytics platforms, and AI tools to intelligently and rapidly interpret data.
These technologies offer the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of O&M activities and strengthen emergency response capabilities. However, many organizations are still in the early stages of adopting AI and data analytics. Foundational elements—such as systematic data collection and sharing, workforce training, and investment planning—are critical to enabling this transition. This topic table is an opportunity to share feedback on the current state of practice, explore implementation strategies, discuss investment priorities, and exchange lessons learned to help advance our collective approach to digital transformation in dam safety and flood risk management.
Learning Objectives:
What organizational changes—such as training, data workflows, or succession planning—have you implemented or are considering to support the adoption of AI and data analytics in dam safety programs?
Can you share any success stories or pilot projects where digital tools—such as new instrumentation technologies, AI, or analytics—have improved O&M or emergency response for dams or flood infrastructure?
What are the biggest barriers your teams face in turning instrumentation and monitoring data into actionable insights, and how are you addressing them?
How are you approaching investment decisions related to digital transformation—such as prioritizing funding for instrumentation, collection of video or satellite data, building data platforms, or AI tools—within your dam safety or asset management programs?
If you are a dam owner/operator/advisor, how are you aligning your digital transformation efforts—such advancing instrumentation models, data analytics, real time interpretation and monitoring with/without AI—with regulatory requirements, emergency preparedness goals, and long-term infrastructure strategies?
