Custom software for the 21 Dutch water authorities: permit flows, dyke management, emergency apps, geo platforms on PostGIS, and Common Ground components. Built in line with BIO, GDPR and the architecture guidelines that water authorities set jointly, not on a rigid enterprise package.
Common GroundBGT & PostGISBIO-compliantMulti-water board collaboration
A water board is not a municipality with wet feet.
The Netherlands has 21 water boards, from Hollands Noorderkwartier and Rijnland to Hunze en Aa's and Scheldestromen. They are autonomous, democratically elected decentralised governments with four core tasks: flood defence, water quality, sufficient water and wastewater treatment. These tasks require software that you will not find in any standard case management system or generic municipal package.
Dike inspection, water level management, discharge permits, emergency on-call duty, WWTP asset management and integrations with BGT, AHN and BAG via PostGIS are all workflows designed specifically for water boards. We build those components to measure, whether it is a citizen portal, a mobile inspection app or a shared service that several water boards use together through the case management architecture you already use.
We work alongside existing packages such as Centric, Pink Roccade DJOIN and Decos. We do not replace them, but we fill the gaps where they no longer fit. Our code remains the property of the water board, runs wherever you want it to, and is connected to the rest of your IT landscape through open integrations.
The water board context also calls for attention to what does not belong in software: dike watch procedures, emergency coordination with safety regions, and democratic accountability to the General Board and the Dijkgraaf. Good software supports those processes without dominating them. Operation stays simple, the audit trail stays complete, and the people on the ground remain in charge.
Three types of water board software we build.
From a clearly defined citizen portal to a multi-year platform shared by several water boards. We determine which form fits in the first conversations.
Fixed-scope project · fixed sprint budget
Citizen and application portal
A portal for residents and businesses to apply for discharge permits, report damage, declare water use or view permits. Login via DigiD and eHerkenning, integration with the existing case management and enforcement workflow, and an audit trail that meets the Dutch Archives Act.
Mobile-first applications for field teams: dike inspection, flood defence inspection, emergency reporting to the on-call duty team. Usable offline, with photos, GPS location and integration with asset registers or CMMS. Results go straight into the GIS and the administrative reporting dashboard.
Shared services across water boards: a PostGIS-based geo platform that combines BGT, BAG and AHN data, a joint permit workflow covering several management areas, or a Common Ground component that several water boards use as an open-source service. We help you think through architecture, governance and ongoing development.
PostGISCommon GroundMulti-tenantOpen-source
What you end up with.
A working application, tested and accepted by users within your water board, plus everything your IT and management teams need to keep running it themselves.
The application itselfProduction and acceptance environments, hosted in your own cloud or with a Dutch hosting provider meeting the BIO baseline. No vendor lock-in to a SaaS package.
Full codebase and documentationSource code in a Git repository owned by the water board, build instructions, architecture overview and API documentation. No black boxes.
Integrations with your existing stackIntegrations with Centric, Pink Roccade DJOIN, Decos, the GIS platform, asset management and the regional tax administration via clear API contracts and smart API integrations.
Operations manual for ITWhat to do during incidents, how to add roles, how to export for archiving, and how to follow up on penetration test findings. Written for the people who will carry on without us.
Training for key usersTwo live sessions for end users within your organisation, plus short instructional videos for partners or residents who will use the portal.
Optional: ongoing supportMonitoring, backups, security patches and further development under an agreed monthly fee, with clear response times for emergencies on the duty rota.
When custom software for a water authority is the right choice.
Four situations in which we typically help water boards. Do any of these sound familiar? Then a初步 exploratory conversation is well worth your time.
Common Ground
Components rather than packages
You don't want one large SaaS package but shared services within the Common Ground architecture that VNG and the water boards are developing together. We build these components as open-source services that other water boards can reuse.
Geo & PostGIS
BGT integration with more capabilities
BGT, BAG and AHN data already sit in your map layers, but no off-the-shelf package combines that data the way you need it for watercourses, water level areas or dyke rings. A custom PostGIS backend with a clean tile API gives you that control back.
Collaboration
Working digitally with other water boards
Several water boards want to run one shared service together, for example a joint permit workflow, a shared emergency app or a central monitoring dashboard. We build it multi-tenant, with governance arrangements that work across water board boundaries.
Operational apps
Field teams still work on paper
Inspection reports, flood defence checks or sample collection still processed on clipboards and in Excel. A mobile app with offline mode, GPS location and direct sync to the GIS saves field teams daily frustration and data loss, while also producing usable time series for trend analysis and public accountability.
Climate adaptation
Stress testing and heat/drought monitoring
Climate stress tests now exist in every water board, but the results often end up in standalone reports or static maps. We build interactive dashboards that link your stress test data and KNMI scenarios to your own water level and quality measurements, so management, board members and partners can all see what is happening in one place.
How a water board project works with us.
1
Introduction and scope kick-off
A first conversation with the process owner and someone from IT architecture. We establish which core task it affects, which packages are already in use and which compliance requirements apply: BIO, GDPR, the Dutch Archiving Act and, for environmental topics, the DSO-LV integration requirements.
2
Architecture and user research
A workshop with your team, plus interviews with the people who will use the software every day, such as a dike manager, a permit officer or a colleague on the duty rota. At the end you have a clear scope, an initial screen flow and an agreed architecture that fits the Common Ground guidelines.
3
Building in two-week sprints
Each sprint delivers a working build your team can test. We work with a fixed team of two to three developers and a product designer, and your product owner attends every review. Mid-course adjustments are the norm, not the exception.
4
Penetration testing, acceptance and rollout
Before going live, an independent penetration test is carried out in line with BIO guidelines. This is followed by a phased rollout: first a pilot team, then organisation-wide and, for multi-water-board platforms, controlled per participant.
5
Ongoing maintenance and further development
After handover, the application moves into maintenance: monitoring, backups, security updates and minor further development based on user feedback. For shared services, we also help think through governance between the participating water boards.
Frequently asked questions.
What water board colleagues usually want to know before we start.
What is Common Ground and do you build for it?
Common Ground is the shared information architecture that the VNG and the water boards are developing together. Rather than one large package, information is decoupled from applications through reusable services. We actively build components within this architecture: API-first, open source where it makes sense, and set up so that another water board can easily reuse the same service. We don't force everything into a Common Ground mould; for well-defined portals or inspection apps, classic patterns are often the more sensible choice.
How do you handle BGT, BAG, AHN and PostGIS?
Our geo stack is built on PostGIS by default. We load the BGT periodically from the official PDOK sources, and BAG and AHN likewise. On top of that we deliver tile services, vector tiles or OGC APIs, so that your front-end application or GIS viewer connects through one clear API. For analytical work, such as water area calculations or dike ring overlays, we write the SQL and CTEs in the PostGIS layer rather than cobbling it together in a front-end package.
Can several water boards collaborate digitally in one application?
Yes, that is one of the main reasons water boards approach us. We build multi-tenant: one codebase, one hosting environment, but each participant has its own roles, its own reporting and its own control over the content. For shared services, we think about governance upfront: who pays, who decides on further development, who keeps the roadmap. This cannot be solved with technology alone, but it cannot be solved without technology either.
Do you replace Centric, Pink Roccade or Decos?
No. For the core case management system or the basic registers, those enterprise packages usually remain in place. We build alongside them: the application flow that is too specific, the citizen portal that the standard look can't handle, the inspection app that isn't covered, or the shared geo platform that works across package boundaries. Integrations run through clear API contracts or an ESB where that is central to your landscape.
How about BIO, GDPR and the Archives Act?
For us, BIO is the baseline, not an after-the-fact check. We work with IBI-compliant logging, environment segregation and a penetration test in the final sprint. GDPR requirements (purpose limitation, data minimisation, data subject rights) are built into the design from the start. For the Archiving Act, we make sure decisions and relevant case documents can be exported to your e-Depot. For environmental topics, the DSO-LV integration obligation also applies; for that, see our Environment and Planning Act page.
How does water board software differ from water engineering software?
Water engineering software runs close to the installations: PLCs, SCADA environments and control of pumps, pumping stations and WWTP processes — we go into more detail on the water engineering page. Water board software in this context is the administrative and operational layer above that: permits, dyke management, emergency coordination, user portals and collaboration platforms between water boards.
And how does it differ from software for municipalities?
Many elements overlap, such as DigiD, eHerkenning, GDPR and a case-oriented architecture, and we are happy to work at that intersection. But water boards have specific tasks that you won't find in any municipal package: dyke ring monitoring, water level decree administration, WWTP asset management and coordination with Rijkswaterstaat. Our municipality page describes our approach to municipal projects; for water boards the process looks similar, but the domain model is different.
Can you work with our advisory firms and partners?
We almost always do. Advisory firms such as Witteveen+Bos, Royal HaskoningDHV or Sweco regularly supply the substantive models or the functional design; we build the software around them. We also work with Deltares or HKV models by exposing them as services in dashboards. That kind of collaboration requires clear agreements upfront on IP and further development — we can help you put those in place.
Which models and datasets do you integrate with in terms of content?
On the water safety side, we often integrate with dyke strength models and Flood Protection Programme (HWBP) data. For water quantity and quality, we bring results from Sobek, D-Flow or MIKE into a dashboard, and for asset management we connect to GeoIT or BeheerIT. PDOK is a constant supplier for BGT, BAG, AHN and aerial imagery, and for climate adaptation we integrate KNMI stress test data. We do not build new hydrological models; we make your existing models usable through software for decision-makers and field staff.
What about the water board levy and SVHW or BSGR?
Levy administration at most water boards runs through SVHW, BSGR or a comparable regional levy service. We don't replace those. What we do build is the application and objection portal, a specific collection integration, or a custom reporting layer on top of the delivered data. The integrations run through standardised messages or API contracts that we agree with the levy service.
Talk to us about your water board software.
A non-binding introductory conversation of half an hour. We listen to which core task or collaboration challenge is at play, ask questions about your existing landscape, and give direction you can use internally straight away — even if you decide to go no further with us.
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