Thursday, 2 December 2004
Swiss Choose Hamilton Engineering Flood Package
Swiss flood specialist’s Hunziker Zarn and Partner (HZP), has selected Hamilton 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. AULOS assists managers who increasingly depend on modelling software to help them understand how a major flood
would behave along a river or coastal margin, and assess flood hazards.
AULOS 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.
Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ) Fellow and HYDRA managing director Alastair Barnett, said they were
delighted with HZP’s decision as it would open the door for AULOS to German speaking Europe, where there is a big
opening for flood management advances.
AULOS’ new form of mathematical modelling for water infrastructure, has already won 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 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.
Announcing their choice, HZP evaluated various programs from Europe, America and New Zealand and decided AULOS proved to
be the mature program that fulfilled the company’s demanding requirements. It was well developed from a technical point
of view, and was also distinguished by a simple, clearly structured interface. The program contains the necessary
features but rejects unnecessary ballast.
ENDS