A Swiss flood specialist group, Hunziker Zarn and Partner, has selected the New Zealand engineering software package AULOS as the base for a $100,000 investment in the future growth of their flood management consulting and software development business.

Announcing their choice, HZP senior partner Roni Hunziker said “We have evaluated various programs from Europe, America and New Zealand. AULOS proved to be the mature program that fulfilled our demanding requirements. Not only is the program well developed from a technical point of view, it is also distinguished by a simple, clearly structured interface. The program contains the necessary features but rejects unnecessary ballast.”

To understand how a major flood would behave along a river or coastal margin, and assess flood hazards, managers increasingly depend on modelling software. To meet this need, the AULOS package was developed by HYDRA Software of Hamilton, working with three other Hamilton-based companies – Hoare Research Software, Scott Technical Instruments and Barnett & MacMurray. A recent link with Dunedin-based Animation Research has added almost photorealistic animation to assist with interpretation of the resulting flood simulations.

HYDRA found that generations of progress by New Zealand engineers on hydropower scheme analysis had developed the basis of the world’s most powerful flood design technology. A particularly demanding test bed has been real-time operation of the giant Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau canals in the South Island, controlling 66% of the total hydro storage of the country.

The revolutionary AULOS has introduced a new form of mathematical modelling for water infrastructure, winning several IPENZ awards. It has been shown to outperform overseas technology in both accuracy and speed, especially in channel networks such as urban drains and river floodways as well as hydropower canals.

HYDRA managing director Alastair Barnett says “The New Zealand Government action in setting up a top level Flood Task Force is typical of recognition in many countries that flood management is one of the biggest challenges facing civilization in the 21st Century. More extreme storms as well as sea level rises are predicted, which will cause heavier rains and more floods inland as well as increased coastal inundation hazard from storm surge and tsunamis. We are delighted with HZP’s decision. This opens the door for AULOS to German speaking Europe, where we see a big opening for flood management advances, particularly with the world reinsurance industry based within an easy day return trip from the HZP offices.”

For more information about this article, contact
(Dr) Alastair Barnett
HYDRA Software Ltd
(07) 859 3662  (025) 304 790

For more information about evaluating or purchasing AULOS, contact
Marc Brienne
Hoare Research Software Ltd
Email: marc@hrs.co.nz
Ph: 0800 477 776 (NZ only) or +64 7 839 9102
Web: www.hrs.co.nz/aulos