Smart river management: What is next?

Abstract The growing complexity of the competition among uses and the emerging understanding of the synergy effects within the catchments and the rivers have underlined the need for information on various aspects of water: precipitations, discharges, velocities, and water depths are some of the basic characteristics that need to be studied for developing a management strategy that can identify and balance the various uses, ensure conservation of resources, and mitigate the potential effect of extreme events. At present, technical innovation provides the possibility to perform measurements on the field, to produce the needed information, and to move to a new paradigm for the management of rivers. This study analyzes the concept of smart river management that emerged recently with the wide spread of Information Technologies (IT) solutions and development of a new generation of sensors based on internet of things architecture. The analysis demonstrates that a holistic approach is needed for efficient management of rivers. The use of Information and Communication Technologies solutions can provide a real added value, but important efforts must be engaged for identifying key activities in the various domains that can benefit from the digital transformation. At the same time, this study introduces the paradigm of a river information system that encompasses the various activities taking place around the rivers and ensures gradual integration of the various IT components in a consistent environment that provides support to the many users of rivers. To achieve this objective, the current situation requires formalization of a roadmap and the need to address the various activities in a systematic way. Within this long‐term process, the digital twins concept represents a step toward the target water information system and has generated interest among professional communities.